The Laufeyson Trial
by Lita Loni
Summary: Loki is imprisoned in Asgard, but a handful of Midgardians are clamoring for a trial on U.S. soil. Thor, temporarily assuming the throne during Odinsleep, agrees to an extradition, assuming the trial will end in conviction. Loki's defense team is lead by a shady but skillful attorney, who has sent Elise Milton to Asgard to consult with Loki. As expected, mischief ensues.
1. Extradition

Elise Milton barely slept on nights before big meetings, and last night had been no exception. This morning, she was awake well before sunrise, preempting her cell phone's alarm by a few hours. After her shower, she fussed for far longer than usual over what to wear. This wasn't just a meeting with the firm, after all. This was the mother of all meetings with the mother of all clients. Her boss, the firm's namesake, Skip Parmeri, attorney-at-law, would never take a _pro bono_ case that wouldn't land his name in the news.

When she was done over-thinking, Elise shivered. She was standing in her skivvies in front of the closet in her New York apartment for which heating was too expensive. As she stepped into a four-year-old tweed shift dress - now snug as a result of constant munching throughout law school and drinking throughout the first year of her legal career – she told herself how lucky she was. This could be the big break she needed. Although truly, she had already been lucky before, and she knew it. Jobs for young lawyers were still few and far between, and she'd managed to land one not just with a law firm, but with one of the most well-known, albeit for many of the wrong reasons.

Once dressed, Elise glanced at her watch before she clasped it around her wrist – she had plenty of time to go before she had to leave. Normally, she liked having an hour to sit down and eat breakfast the way she imagined normal people did, but she was far too apprehensive today to enjoy the down-time. She paced with her bowl of cereal, taking small bites for her jittery stomach's sake, and flipped on the television to distract herself.

The TV only picked up eight channels; it was the most basic of basic cable packages. Unfortunately for Elise, all of the channels were news, and all of the anchors were talking about Parmeri & Associates.

"Last month we saw surprising protests surrounding Thor Odinson's return to New York with the woman rumored to be his girlfriend..." The gussied-up anchorwoman spoke the word "girlfriend" as though it were intriguing and unexpected. "...Jane Foster, and today, he's back to meet with the infamous Skip Parmeri and his legal team. You may remember Mr. Parmeri as the lawyer who represented a certain few of the big execs in the heavily-publicized financial debacle two months ago..." Did she actually use the word "execs?" Elise cringed as the anchorwoman went on. "And now, in what promises to be an absolutely groundbreaking trial, Mr. Parmeri's firm will be representing Loki Laufeyson as he is extradited..."

The sound of the anchorwoman's coached voice was grating, so Elise flipped the channel, where a far more politicized and compelling rendition was being given by a salt-and-peppered man in thick-rimmed, square glasses. The pundit on this channel had plenty of opinions of his own to insert.

"_Really_?" the man griped into the camera. "Are we _really_ going to let this guy take advantage of our soft legal system when Odinson already has him locked-up out there in space, or wherever? Let's take a look at what Parmeri had to say about the extradition last week."

Elise tried to crunch her cereal quietly as she listened to her sweating, pudgy boss' impassioned speech.

"This isn't a discussion about the nature of Mr. Laufeyson's _alleged_ crimes. This is about the basic rights of man. I don't care if it's another state, another country, or another world entirely. The same rules of justice _have_ to apply. You wouldn't let your friend sit in prison in Iran without trial for a crime he allegedly committed on _our_ soil just because his brother was president there, would you? Of course not. And we, Parmeri & Associates, are here to make sure that no matter what shape the law takes as we explore these 'realms,' justice will be served, and that starts with a fair trial for Mr. Laufeyson."

It was almost laughable, the way Parmeri acted as though this were a big human rights issue, but if Elise didn't practice not laughing at him at home, she'd never be able to contain herself at work. Skip Parmeri chased publicity. Wherever there was a big, famous jerk in trouble, Parmeri was there, dabbing his forehead with a monogrammed handkerchief and extrapolating on fairness and respect for the law. He was a dick, for sure, but apparently, he trusted Elise enough to put her in charge of this case, the big one, the case all of New York and probably America would be buzzing about.

But all that buzz made Elise uneasy. She checked her watch again – still, about half an hour before she had to leave. She rinsed her empty bowl out and placed it in the sink before setting her coffee maker up to brew. Once she'd put the filter, coffee, and water in the appropriate parts of the appliance, she switched it on. For a moment, it did nothing. Then, it gave a pathetic sputter before dumping ten coffee cups worth of water all over counter. Elise jumped back as it dripped onto the tile and filled up her high-heeled shoes.

"Shit," she muttered to no one. "Shit, shit, shit." There wouldn't be time to fix this after she went through the ordeal of choosing new shoes and cleaning up. She'd have to stop for coffee on her way. It was a good thing she woke up early, she told herself.

Elise grabbed her packed suitcase from her bedroom, threw her heavy coat on over her blazer, and prepared to leave. On her way out the door, she piled everything she needed into her large, cheap handbag. File folders, case briefs, a notebook, and a memorandum written in fluent legalese all went in, as did a large bottle of Valium tablets she'd been prescribed. This week, she might very well need them.

Elise found herself rushing. Perhaps she hadn't left herself enough time for coffee, after all. She was a terrible estimator of how long it would take to walk from one place to another, especially when she had to go out of her way for errands – or caffeine – en route to her final destination.

The long lines at Starbucks in the mornings made Elise uncomfortable. She hated being talked to while she waited. Instead, she made a slightly longer detour in favor of a bagel shop, one which had been unknown to her before a bad date she had there two weeks ago. It had been empty then, but this morning, the place seemed to have become the latest tourist attraction. Were cupcakes over? Were bagels the new thing?

Despite the crowd, the queue was moving quickly. Elise attached herself to the end of it, avoiding eye contact with anyone and everyone, pretending to text. A conversation started up behind her, prompting Elise to turn and gawk momentarily before returning to her phone. The participants were a man in a Yankees cap and a woman whose leggings seemed to be bursting at the seams with her heft.

"Thor's comin' today," said the Yankees fan. "D'you think we'll see him?" he half-joked.

"Nah, there's like a million people in New York," his companion responded. "No way we'll see him."

They were quiet for a moment, but when they started back up again, Elise continued eavesdropping.

"Whaddaya think about Loki there? That's not smart, bringin' him back here." Yankees-guy seemed nervous, but then, tourists always were.

"Y'know, I don't know," leggings-lady offered. "But it's like, everyone should get a fair trial, right?"

"Yeah," the man acquiesced. "I s'pose."

Elise scrolled anxiously through pictures in her phone while the shit-storm rolled on in.

"'Fair trial' my ass," some obnoxious, greasy man exclaimed.

"Hey!" a woman with a young child snapped. "Shut it, there's kids in here!"

"Free country, lady!"

A militant-looking young woman with a shaved head butted in. "It's not _even_ a free country," she remarked, "especially if we're letting people get locked-up before they even get a trial!"

"Oh, please," some suited-up man half-shouted. He gestured broadly as he spoke despite the crowded environment. "None of those people who he _murdered_ got a fair trial, why should he?"

_Allegedly_ murdered, Elise corrected him in her mind.

"That's not even the same thing!" the bald woman retorted, but her words were lost in the chaos of a bagel-shop-wide debate.

This wasn't worth it to Elise, not even for the first cup of coffee of the day. She wanted to leave nonchalantly, as though it weren't because of the argument, so she sighed theatrically, muttered "I don't have time for this" just loudly enough for the people immediately around her to hear, and made her exit.

Elise's brisk gait brought her to the building that housed Parmeri & Associates twenty minutes before the morning meeting with the team working on Mr. Laufeyson's case began. She took the stairs to the fourth floor to kill time and burn off nervous energy. Just as she arrived at the summit, Skip Parmeri bumbled out of his spacious office, breathing heavily.

"Great!" Parmeri bellowed. "I'm glad you're here early, 'Lise. I like that initiative. That's why I hired ya."

"Thanks," Elise replied, trying hard to smile. He always called her "'Lise," but she hadn't been at the firm long enough to tell him not to.

"We've got a lot to go over before you go," Parmeri prefaced as he walked toward the conference room.

"Alright," Elise said, following him. "What's new?"

"Nothing new. Just some guests coming, and I want everyone to know, y'know, what their deal is. You especially."

Parmeri took his place at the end of the long conference-room table, expelling a sigh as he seated himself. Elise took the corner seat beside him and waited patiently while he opened a thick folder and found the right notes.

"So," Parmeri began once he found what he was looking for, "we've got one of those S.H.I.E.L.D. guys comin' in a few minutes. Guy's intense. I can tell you right now he's gonna try to keep you from getting alone with our client – don't let him scare you. You gotta get alone with Laufeyson so you can get the whole picture."

"Don't worry, I will." Elise said this despite her extreme trepidation about being alone in an enclosed space with a mass murderer who ran a ninety-nine percent chance of being found guilty at trial.

"And I sent an e-mail about this last night, because I didn't want all the associates getting all excited about it today, but Thor's gonna be here at the meeting before he takes you up with him." Parmeri gestured at the ceiling, as though Asgard were directly above the conference room. "Don't get all star-struck on me, okay?"

"I won't," Elise assured her boss, although she wasn't sure whether she'd be able to keep that promise.

"Good." Parmeri concluded just as the rest of the associates filtered into the conference room. Some of them stopped by Elise's seat to congratulate her with a pat on the shoulder or to wish her luck before seating themselves. She smiled and thanked them, but she wished she could excuse herself to pop a Valium. The meeting convened when Parmeri finished a text message and put away his phone.

"Alright people, here's what's on the agenda. You all already know, but 'Lise is gonna be the first among us to get her name out there in inter-realm law – that's what we're callin' it now – so today's a landmark day for all of us."

Polite applause trickled through the room, and Elise nodded graciously and awkwardly, mouthing "thank you."

"But we're just getting warmed up here, guys," Parmeri continued. "Laufeyson's gonna be extradited. That's happening. The details aren't all hammered-out yet about the how and when, but now we can focus on the actual case. We've got a lot to do while 'Lise is gone, and there's gonna be even more when 'Lise gets back. To start, we wanna be clear that there's gonna be no double-jeopardy, and..."

Elise zoned out once she realized that the content of the meeting wasn't for her. She was too distracted and too tired to listen attentively, and besides, she was out of here for the next few days. If she was going to get caught not listening, now was as good a time as ever. She let her imagination run amok, developing a mental picture of Asgard and running through what she'd say when she first met her client.

"Isn't that right, 'Lise?" Parmeri interrupted her daydreaming by mentioning her.

"That's right," she responded confidently. Despite not having heard what had just been said, Elise knew Parmeri was just looking for an affirmation. Bullet dodged, she sank back into her thoughts until the door to the conference room swung open, revealing their two guests.

Elise immediately recognized Thor. He wore the armor everyone saw him in on the news, and it made him look comically out of place in a room full of suits, as did his size. He dwarfed not only the lawyers, but also the man who walked with him. But that guy was distinguished in his own right – an eye patch was lodged beneath his furrowed brow.

"I hope we're not late, Mr. Parmeri," the man said, his voice tense and distrusting.

"Not at all," Parmeri responded smoothly. He stood, shook hands, and then turned to his employees. "Guys, this is Nick Fury. Listen up."

Fury failed to thank Parmeri and launched straight into his speech. "I hope you folks are pleased with yourselves. You got your trial and your media circus. But before you go ahead with this, there's some things you should know about Loki." He paused, examined the faces staring at him from around the table, and then asked, "Who's actually going to talk to him?"

Elise raised her hand slightly, leaning a bit to be sure she was in his field of vision.

"Just you?" Fury seemed dissatisfied with this.

Elise nodded. "Yup, just me. Is that a problem?"

Fury shrugged. "Could be. I can't predict how you're gonna be once you get in with him."

"She's gonna do great," Parmeri interrupted. "Don't psych her out."

"I'm not psyching anyone out, Mr. Parmeri. I'm just stating facts." Fury addressed the room once again. "Now, Loki – and I want to be clear, this is a speech for everyone's personal safety, it's not testimony, nothing like that – Loki's gonna be one of two ways with you. He might act real friendly, but that's not genuine. And you're gonna find that out real fast if you fall for it."

An overeager first-year associate's hand shot up. "Mr. Fury, are you trying to tell us that our client is a sociopath?"

"Like I said," Fury responded gruffly, "this isn't testimony. These are instructions."

The associate scribbled something down anyway.

"That's my advice to you all," Fury concluded, perhaps prematurely. "There's not much more I can say here. You've got me in a rough spot. My job is keeping you all safe, and everyone else, but I'm a witness here."

"Is that it?" Parmeri asked blithely.

"I guess so." Fury was already making his way to the door, stopping to clandestinely impart something to Thor before he was gone.

"Well, alright then. That was brief." Parmeri shuffled his notes around, then turned in his seat to face Thor. "You wanna go?"

"Yes," Thor replied in a clear, low timbre. His volume escalated as he addressed the room. "I am allowing Loki to be transported here to be subject to the laws of Midgard for two reasons..."

"Oh, brother," Elise muttered under her breath. Was he here to escort her or to berate the defense lawyers?

"First," Thor boomed, holding up one finger, "Know that I have allowed this merely to fulfill your people's requests. Your realm seems to have such faith in its own arbitrators. If this system is of such value to Midgard, it would be cruel for me to refuse this request."

"Wait a minute," Elise piped up. "Are you the judge, jury, and executioner in Asgard?"

A misplaced, proud smirk crossed Thor's face. "While the Allfather rests, I am."

It was no wonder, Elise thought, with a system like that, that the American court system was so willing to allow a request for extradition to go through. "Great," she smiled.

"Secondly," Thor went on, "I am allowing this so that my brother will know he is not wanted here in Midgard as its king."

Loki wasn't desired as a king, a president, not even as a manager of a McDonalds, not by Elise or anyone else. Still, Thor's second stated reason struck Elise as a bit mean-spirited. Fuel for the defense, perhaps.

"That is all," Thor announced. He remained just where he was, maintaining the posture he'd assumed while speaking as if expecting applause to erupt.

Parmeri checked his watch. "Well, that was short, too."

Thor looked to Elise, but did not address her. "Shall I take the maiden to Asgard now?"

"Yeah, you can take the maiden in a sec," Parmeri gently ribbed, "but can you give us a minute first?"

"Yes." Thor stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

"Okay," Parmeri started in a hushed tone, "I know I'm not the only one who thinks this is all pretty bizarre, but we've gotta roll with it." He leaned toward Elise and his voice grew even quieter still. "It's all on you, 'Lise. You're our boots on the ground out there. Don't let these jokers get in your head. Just get in there and find a way to get Loki off. You just gotta find that one little thing. And if you can do that, you're gonna go down as one of the best defense attorneys in New York."

"Thanks," Elise whispered, matching her boss' tone. "I think I can do it."

"Don't just think it, be sure." Parmeri leaned back, and his volume returned to normal. "Now get out there!"

Elise stood, pushing her chair away and picking up her handbag, coat, and suitcase.

"Have a safe trip," the older associate beside her said.

"Thanks," Elise replied quietly. "I will."


	2. Consultation

"This is the Tesseract," Thor explained, holding out a glowing, blue cube as if offering it to Elise.

Elise listened as well as she could this early in the day.

"Are you familiar with it?" he asked.

"No," Elise responded, shaking her head and staring into the light. "I'm not."

"The Tesseract is a very powerful relic. It will open a portal for us into Asgard."

"Do I have to touch it?"

Thor chuckled heartily. "Of course."

Frowning, Elise asked, "Is it radioactive?"

"I would not know," Thor responded.

This response was unsatisfactory to Elise. "What I'm really asking is whether I'm going to get cancer from it."

"No one has yet." Thor delivered these words with a smile, as if terminal illness were a completely trivial concern. "Though traveling as far as we will so quickly, you may feel unwell when we arrive."

"Motion sickness?"

"Perhaps." Thor extended his arms to position the Tesseract closer to Elise. "Hold it."

Elise slowly and timidly placed the hand that was not holding her luggage on the relic. To her surprise and comfort, it was not especially hot or cold. She experienced an energetic, perhaps even tingling sensation in her fingertips, but she attributed the feeling to anxiety and tried to ignore it.

"Brace yourself," Thor warned just as everything in Elise's consciousness flashed bright white, then black.

The portal spit them in front of a massive, texturally interesting, glistening compound, seemingly comprised of a multitude of slender towers. Elise took in the scenery as she caught her breath and regained her balance.

"We have arrived," Thor announced. He had already assumed a regal pose, apparently not suffering the dizziness and confusion that Elise did.

"What's that?" Elise queried, gesturing to the huge, sparkling edifice.

"Home," Thor replied simply as he started toward it.

Elise scrambled to keep up. "This is where you live?"

"Yes." Thor looked straight ahead as he spoke. "I reside here with my mother, my father, and my brother."

"Your brother? Loki?" Elise was baffled. "Isn't he supposed to be locked up?"

"He is," Thor assured her. "There is no safer place for him than here. He is guarded at all times. And here, we have the means to keep him from playing any tricks until the Allfather is awake and able to take back the power he gave him."

They entered through a massive doorway into a foyer, and Thor led Elise down a long corridor to an atrium, at the back of which stood an empty, golden throne. Elise followed him to the right onto a seemingly endless spiraling staircase.

"So you keep him pretty well hidden," Elise panted as she struggled toward the top.

"Yes," Thor agreed. "We do not want him pestering our friends and guests, not that there is much he can do with the restraints he wears." He cracked a smile at the end of this phrase.

He may have thought this was funny, but Elise did not, and she made a mental note: her client was being held in unsatisfactory conditions. How credible would testimony from Loki's jailers be if they took such delight in his undignified living situation? This could be evidence. This could be...

Nothing, Elise concluded as they arrived at the door to Loki's quarters. Scratch that. Anything with ceilings large enough to accommodate those mile-high doors couldn't possibly be inhumane. Two guards, their likenesses obscured by their armor, stood unflinching at either side of the broad entrance.

Thor ignored them, approached the door, and knocked hard twice, the sound echoing through the hall. "Brother," he called.

There came no response from behind the doors.

"Loki? Brother?" he repeated.

"Go away." The voice that called back was just loud enough to hear, and something – not anger, perhaps hurt – was evident in the tone.

"You have a visitor," Thor said, shouting so that his voice would carry into the room.

There was an uncomfortable pause, and then a cautious response: "Who is it?"

Thor glanced at Elise before answering. "A lawyer."

More silence.

"Loki," Thor called, impatience leeching into his timbre, "do you want to meet her or not?"

"Come in." Loki responded so quickly that he nearly interrupted his brother.

Thor gave a quick nod to the guard on the right side of the doors. The guard approached and returned a set of oversized brass keys to Thor.

"Thank you," Thor said as he began the process of opening the doors. Elise watched carefully – subtle points of light where the keys met the locks suggested that there was more than just machinery at work.

Thor pushed through the doors, and Elise followed him into the room. It was a sparse, vast space, devoid of decoration save for its own ornate construction and empty of furniture besides a double-doored wardrobe, a writing desk with a matching chair, a night stand, and a more-than-king-sized bed, at the foot of which Loki sat.

He slouched, his gaze boring into the marble of the tiles on the floor. His wrists were bound up in a device that, in Elise's mind, most closely resembled a miniature medieval stock. As she drew closer, an ominous glow was visible where the contraption touched his skin. Even seated, it was obvious that he was far taller and somewhat broader than Elise, but relative to his surroundings and to Thor, he was small.

Elise jumped when, without turning his head, Loki fixed his eyes on her.

"Who is this, now?" he muttered, his jaw tense and his volume low.

"This is Elise," Thor responded in full voice. "She is a lawyer. In Midgard, lawyers are-"

"I know," Loki interrupted, "what a lawyer is."

Thor paused before speaking again, this time with measurably less self-assurance. "She is here to advise you in..." he turned to Elise. "What are the matters on which you will advise him, again?"

"Actually," Elise said, "that's none of your business." Her heart pounded as she delivered these words.

"What?" Thor's head tilted, and his eyes narrowed. "Of course it is my business! He is not only my brother, but a prisoner in my charge."

"I am not your _brother_," Loki hissed, finally becoming animated. "I-"

"Mr. Laufeyson," Elise interjected, raising her free hand, "it's best if you don't say anything."

The expression on Loki's face was one of fury, confusion, and contempt. "How _dare _you?"

Sensing that her client was on the verge of launching into a tirade, Elise stepped quickly away from Thor and toward Loki to convey a quick, quiet message. She stood to his side, leaning sharply to reach his ear and whisper:

"With all due respect, Mr. Laufeyson, I'm here to help you-"

"How can I be sure of this?" he whispered back. "Thor is well-loved in Midgard, and I-"

"It's my _job_ to help you," she assured him. "I want you to walk."

Loki was baffled. "To walk? Where?"

"I mean, I want you to win this. If you lose, I lose, too."

A narrow smile spread between Loki's cheekbones.

"So can you do this for me?" Elise requested. "Can you keep as quiet as possible?"

"I can," he promised.

"Good," Elise said, backing away to stand between the two deities.

"You cannot exclude me from your conversations," Thor balked.

Elise smirked. "Yes, we can."

"No, you cannot!" Thor protested, visibly agitated. "_I_ am in charge of this realm while my father sleeps, and I have a right-"

"You actually don't. Mr. Laufeyson's trial takes place in _my_ jurisdiction. I know the rules. And what _you_ need to understand is that in that jurisdiction, we have a thing called attorney-client privilege." It was too easy. Elise went on. "I'm here in a professional capacity, as an _attorney_, to consult with my _client_. If you can't respect that, you're in for the ride of your life once we get to court."

Thor appeared stunned, then furious, then defeated. "Very well," he said as he turned to leave. "I will take your belongings to the room where you will be quartered, and I will return in no less than an hour."

"I'll hold onto the purse," Elise smiled as she thrust her suitcase toward Thor.

"Just know," Thor called as he neared the exit, "that I will seal these doors when I leave, and that you will be trapped here until I return."

"Is that a threat?" Elise retorted.

"Nay, it is a warning." With that, Thor was gone, and the door, presumably, was locked.

As soon as the heavy footsteps faded, Elise approached Loki again, and in her most professional demeanor, said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Laufeyson. I'm Elise Milton with Parmeri & Associates." She began to extend her hand for him to shake, but remembered the device immobilizing his wrists and thought better of it.

"That was thrilling," Loki commented. "No one dares speak to Thor that way."

"I'm not just a lawyer, Mr. Laufeyson," Elise quipped, "I'm a New Yorker, too." She looked around the room, and her eyes fell on the desk chair. "Do you mind if I sit?" she asked, gesturing to it.

"Splendid." Loki seemed to have come to life in Thor's absence. "And yes, of course you may."

"Thanks." Elise traversed the expansive tile, retrieved the chair, and brought it to where Loki was. She sat, crossing her legs, and prepared to discuss his defense. "Now, Mr. Laufeyson-"

"Loki, my dear," he corrected. "You may call me Loki."

"Right," Elise said, thrown-off. "Loki, there's a few approaches we could take here. Now, I'll be honest-"

"May I ask a question?"

"Yeah," said Elise, again caught off-guard by his interruption. "Shoot."

His question seemed sudden: "Are you wed?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Elise replied, taken aback.

"I mean no offense," Loki laughed, "I simply must know whether my assumption is correct."

Though suspicious, Elise took the bait. "What's your assumption?"

"That you must not be." His teeth visible in the broadest of grins. "Midgardian men must be _terrified_ of you."

"Loki," Elise began, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, "right off the bat, that's inappropriate."

"Is it?" Loki feigned ignorance. "Then I will not say what I had planned to say next. Please, forgive me."

"It's fine," Elise assured him before moving on. "Why don't you tell me how you're feeling about this trial? What do you think?" Elise reached into her handbag for what notes she already had, and for a pen with which she could write more.

"How do I feel?" Loki paused momentarily. "I suppose I feel confused."

"What are you confused about?"

"I do not understand why the people in your realm are so eager for my return. Do they believe this punishment to be insufficient?"

"Well," Elise explained, "we believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and there are a lot of people who take that very literally."

"Is that so?" Loki seemed to look past her, wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"Yeah. And those of us who pay attention to international law, when we found out you were being extradited, we were surprised Germany didn't come up with the idea to extradite you first."

"Why such surprise?" Loki asked, his focus returning to Elise.

"Germany does a lot of extradition," she clarified. "Of course, nothing like this."

"I have another question for you."

"What is it?"

"What will become of me if I – or, rather, if we – lose?"

Elise took a moment to gather her thoughts. She needed to tread lightly. Although almost all the rest of Parmeri & Associates was hard at work devising a strategy to have charges reduced or, conversely, to ensure that what Loki was charged with was difficult to prove, the subject of the death penalty would have to come up. But rather than broaching the subject then and there, Elise simply said, "It depends."

"It depends upon what?" Loki pressed.

"On plea bargaining."

"Please, explain."

"Our basic goal with plea bargaining is going to be to convince the prosecutor to dismiss or lower your charges in exchange for a guilty plea from you."

This concept appeared not to resonate well with Loki. "But then, will I not be proven guilty?"

"Well, yes," Elise said, "but you won't be proven guilty of nearly as much. Or at least that's the goal."

Loki frowned. "I would rather be found guilty of nothing."

"That's the other option," Elise informed him. "We're half-expecting the prosecution to try to stick you with something unprecedented, like genocide.

"I fail to see how that is an option."

Loki seemed to be growing frustrated already, Elise noticed. That made her uncomfortable, but she proceeded as if it didn't. "Well," she said, "the good thing about that is this: the more they charge you with, the higher their burden of proof. So that means a jury's less likely to find you guilty."

Loki sighed. "You sound very capable," he mumbled.

"Thank you," Elise said. "Now, let's-"

"Let us talk about something more pleasant."

"Sorry?"

"I am weary of discussing what cannot be undone."

"We have to talk about it, though." Elise didn't want to talk about anything other than what was required, and, cloistered in this room, she had to talk about _something_. She was already uneasy, and a change of subject would make her more so.

The way Loki looked at her when she attempted to reject his request to talk about pleasant things was pitiful. He seemed hurt. "I am alone here at all times, excepting meals," he said. "And even then, I am the constant subject of Thor's reprimands. He has instructed the guards not to speak with me. Even Frigga refuses to see me."

Elise couldn't help but feel badly for him. "I'm sorry," she said, not knowing what else to say. She had dealt with criminals before, but none whose alleged crimes were so violent and serious, but also none for whom she felt real sympathy. Parmeri & Associates' clientele was largely comprised of conniving executives, people in an untouchable pay grade, none of whom were remorseful for their frauds, and none of whom faced a death sentence. And when she was honest with herself, she knew that Loki would be convicted. She knew – though trials like these could drag on and on – that his time was limited.

For a second, her heart go the best of her head. "I guess it would be okay if we talked about something else for a while."

Loki perked up, and Elise thought she saw something sinister flash behind his eyes.

"Tell me about yourself," he said, quiet, but not timid.

"What do you want to know about?"

"Anything. Tell me anything."

Elise thought for a moment about what information was not sensitive. "I think I already told you that I live in New York," she stalled.

"Yes," Loki confirmed. "Is that where you were born?"

"No," Elise said, "I was born in New Jersey."

"Truthfully," Loki said, his smile recovered, "I am not familiar with New Jersey."

"There's no need to be," Elise joked. "It's an armpit."

"An armpit?"

"Yeah, it sucks."

"Pardon?"

"Sorry." Elise had forgotten just how different her vernacular was from his. "I'm trying to say New Jersey isn't a very nice place."

"I see..." Loki trailed off, and his eyes darted everywhere until he found his next question. "What do you keep in that bag?" he asked.

"This?" His question was so innocuous. Elise lifted her handbag into her lap and looked inside. "Today I've got notes about your case, printed-out e-mails about your case, a memorandum about your case..."

"Do you have anything in there that does not pertain to me?" Loki teased.

Elise stopped rummaging through her bag momentarily, having noticed something odd about his inflection, or his phrasing, something almost imperceptible. Surely, though, she was just nervous or over-sensitive. "Speaking of which..." she muttered to herself as she resumed the journey to the bottom of her handbag and encountered the pills she'd packed.

Loki heard her. "Hm?"

"Nothing," Elise said. "Just remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

"Really, nothing import-"

"_Ouch_!" Loki flinched, curling up his fingers and tensing.

"What's wrong?" Elise asked. "Are you okay?"

"Forgive me," he said, raising his bound forearms. "The restraints are painful at times."

"Are they? How so?"

"They prickle my skin." He straightened his elbows to give Elise a closer look at the contraption. "Do you see the light they emit?"

"Yeah."

"That is more than simply light. It is energy. It is meant to stun me."

Elise shook her head. "That doesn't seem right."

"I suppose it is not the worst that could have befallen me," Loki said, resting his hands in his lap. "But it does cause me considerable discomfort."

"Let me get some things straight," said Elise, concerned. "They keep you locked in here all day long?"

"They do."

"And they keep this thing on your wrists the whole time?"

"Not when I eat," Loki admitted. "But then, I am shadowed by guards."

Elise considered this, and asked one more thing: "Are they allowing you to shower? To take care of your hygienic needs?"

Hesitant and bitter, Loki answered. "When Thor remembers, or when I protest loudly enough."

Elise frowned. "That's... not okay."

"Pardon?"

"There's no way that's considered a reasonable degree of restraint," Elise explained. "I'm not sure what the rules are exactly, but..." she stopped to think before saying more.

"But what?" Loki urged. "Is this impermissible?"

"I think so. I-"

At that moment, the doors swung open. Loki's demeanor immediately darkened as Thor entered.

"An hour has passed," Thor announced. "Elise, you may go to your room now, if you wish."

Elise leaned toward Loki, placing her hand gently on his upper arm, and whispered to him: "I'll see what I can do about this."

"Thank you," he returned in the quietest audible voice.


	3. Cruel and Unusual

"Did your meeting proceed as planned?" Thor asked as if he hadn't expected it to.

"It was fine," Elise replied, following him through the corridors as they proceeded to the room where she'd be staying. "I have to talk to you about something, though."

"What is it?" The question sounded like a challenge.

Elise's confidence waned. She needed more time to prepare for this conversation. But without access to any of her usual resources, she'd have to wing it. "The way you're restraining him," she said. "Isn't it overkill?"

"Not at all," Thor responded quickly.

"Well, it kind of seems like it is, and we have to talk about it."

"What is there to talk about?"

"Come on," Elise urged. "The solitary confinement, the handcuffs that shock him-"

"They do not 'shock' him," Thor argued. "They merely prevent him from using magic."

"Well, they're hurting him," Elise said. "You can't do that."

"Who says that I cannot employ the methods necessary to restrain Loki?"

For this, Elise had no response – she had to conjure something up, something that sounded good. "It's a violation of his human rights."

Thor laughed. "He already has you wrapped around his finger, does he?"

That implication offended Elise. "Not at all," she said before drawing in a deep breath to calm herself, then bluffed some more. "There'll be consequences if you don't do one of two things: remove the handcuffs, or let him come and go from his room freely."

This seemed to get Thor's attention. He stopped walking and faced Elise directly. "Consequences?" he said. "From whom?"

"From the international community." It was the most non-specific actor Elise could think of.

Thor stroked his chin has he considered this.

"You can't keep my client in restraints twenty-four seven," Elise pushed. "If he was a United States citizen, we'd shove so many lawsuits up your-"

"As you wish," Thor growled. "I will remove the restraints. But his door will remain sealed throughout the day. He will not be able to open it, neither by magic nor by trickery."

"Fair enough," Elise smiled. "Shake on it," she said, extending her hand.

Thor clasped her comparatively tiny hand firmly in his own and squeezed. They began walking again. Then, seemingly unprompted, he said, "I fear for your safety."

"Why's that?" Elise asked.

"I do not think you understand what he is capable of."

"I think I can handle this."

"In that case, I am _sure_ that you do not understand what he is capable of."

This was exactly what Skip Parmeri had warned her about. He was trying to get inside her head, trying to derail her efforts to fulfill the legal duty she'd been saddled with. It wasn't going to work, Elise told herself. She wouldn't let Thor – who, to her, was already proving to be more or less a barbarian – dictate how she handled her client's case.

Once more, Thor stopped suddenly in his path. He held up the ring of big, brass keys. "Here," he said. "Take them."

"Oh, no," Elise said. She wanted neither the responsibility nor the implications that came with being her own client's jailor. It was a conflict to end all conflicts of interest. "I couldn't-"

"The guards are not very clever," Thor explained. "That is why they are guards. I have instructed them not to speak to Loki, but can I trust them?"

"You can't trust them, but you can trust me?"

"Yes."

"You just met me."

Thor mulled this over. "Perhaps, but Loki intended to destroy your town when last he was in your realm. You would not allow him to do the same again."

"Of course not," Elise said, "but-"

"He will be frustrated if he cannot outwit you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Thor lowered his voice. "My brother is not well. His mind is not well. Should something happen, the guards may not reach you quickly enough. Take the keys so that you may escape should something anger him."

A chill rushed through Elise's body. Loki had shown her no sign of aggression, but perhaps Thor was right. Besides, this arrangement would mean that she would no longer need to ask for permission to see her client. She could meet with Loki without Thor's accompaniment or intrusion. She was convinced.

"Thanks," Elise said as she reached for the keys. They were heavier than expected, like a jug of milk.

They walked through the tower, quicker now, and without speaking, until they reached the room that had been prepared for Elise's arrival.

"I hope that this is acceptable," Thor said as he pushed the door open and stood aside so that Elise could enter.

"_Wow_." Elise's reaction was warranted. While not as large as Loki's, the room could have contained the entirety of Elise's apartment and more. "Thanks a ton. This is great."

"I am glad that you are pleased with it." Thor backed into the hallway. "Soon, we will eat. I will send a guard to retrieve you when it is time."

"Great," Elise replied, her eyes still wandering across the high ceiling. "Thanks. See you then."

Thor shut the door when he left, and Elise was alone. She dropped her handbag and the heavy keys on the mattress and sat. What was there to do now? Instinctively, she pulled out her phone. No signal, of course. She could have reviewed her notes, but she'd already reviewed them the day before, and there was nothing new to know. She'd wasted too much time shooting the breeze with Loki. But was that a bad thing? As a woman and a young attorney, Elise felt it necessary to maintain a professional veneer and an almost stern demeanor simply to deflect doubts about her competence. She never meant to be cold or unsympathetic, but she feared that too much kindness could be misinterpreted. But maybe, she thought, friendliness was the way to gain trust from someone like Loki. Maybe casual chat was a skill she had to develop.

Elise was still convinced that Thor's intense precautions had been unnecessary, and she was pleased with herself for convincing him to make a concession. Loki didn't seem crazy. He'd been, for the most part, refreshingly pleasant to talk to. Despite his constant isolation, he seemed, for the most part, mentally "all-there." The moments when something didn't seem quite right with him, Elise could forgive. After all, had one of _her_ brothers locked her away, she wouldn't have been able to keep it together, either.

Still, though, something was unsettling.

Elise reclined on the bed. She was still tired, her second wind depleted and her daily coffee regimen incomplete. She rolled to her side and attempted a nap, closing her eyes and going through the motions – relaxing first her toes, then her feet, her calves, and so on – to fall asleep.

But she couldn't. She was jittery, anxious to get work, to get to the bottom of whatever had happened. With what she knew, she argued and counter-argued in her imagination. She could almost see the pieces of the defense moving around and fitting in together, but she needed to know more to make it all work. She needed to know something good. Maybe she'd get it tonight, if her client would give it to her.

More and more thoughts sprang up, and they raced faster and faster through her mind. They were becoming overwhelming. Elise's excitement morphed into uncomfortable, limiting anxiety, exactly the sort of thing she'd filled a prescription for. She leaned to reach her bag and pulled it toward her. She brought out the Valium, pressed and twisted the child-proof cap, and swallowed one dry. The placebo effect took hold before the signature benzodiazepine drowsiness kicked in, and Elise eagerly welcomed sleep.

It was the kind of sleep in which hours seem to pass in an instant. After what felt like only a second, a guard jostled her awake.

"Come," he said. "You are wanted in the dining hall."

Elise stretched her back. "Do I have time to fix my makeup?" she groaned, eyes still closed.

"The others are waiting," the guard informed her.

She sat up quickly, resulting in a rush of blood away from her head. "One sec."

The guard backed away and Elise swung her feet over the side of the mattress, touching down on the floor. She snapped her head forward to make her hair fall in front of her, groped blindly in her handbag for a hair tie, and, finding one, twisted her hair and wrapped it around itself to form a bun. Once it was steady – she touched it to be sure – she stood, and the guard escorted her down to dinner. Elise rubbed her crooked eyeliner off in smears as they walked, examining her fingers to be sure she'd taken care of every last bit.

Unfamiliar sets of eyes looked to Elise as she entered the hall. The older woman seated at the head of the table, Elise assumed, was Thor's mother, the goddess, Frigga. Thor was seated at her right, and beside him sat Jane the physicist – her picture had been in the news – looking pretty and plain. Across from her, separated from Frigga by one chair, sat Loki. Behind him stood the guards from his doorway, obscuring the light from the torches on the wall and casting shadows on his features.

"Mother," Thor said, standing, "I wish to introduce Elise Milton, of Midgard."

Elise's escort nudged her, and she walked the length of the table to the end, where the food and the people were. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted Frigga, bowing slightly at the waist. Her head was still foggy, but even had she been thinking clearly, she would not have known the right way to address queens or goddesses anyway. To her relief, no one appeared offended.

Frigga responded with one slow nod. "Please," she said, "sit down."

Elise took the open seat between Frigga and Loki and immediately noticed Jane glaring at her.

"It's nice to meet you," Elise said in her kindest tone. "I've heard about you on the news, but I never thought I'd be eating dinner with you."

Jane's smile was noticeably forced. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Shall we begin?" Frigga suggested, leaning forward to place meat on her plate.

It was the most uncomfortable dinner Elise had ever endured. As if she, Loki, and the guards weren't there, Thor, Jane, and Frigga talked among themselves. Loki did not speak, and while that made Elise's job easier while others were around, she wanted company. Every time she moved, whether for more food or to shift for comfort, Jane eyed her with resentment and suspicion. That was the most bothersome thing of all. Elise wanted the only other non-deity in the room to like her. She had to try. She spoke up at the next lull in the chatter.

"Jane," she said, "I heard you were in Manhattan a little while ago."

The table was silent. After a few tense seconds, Jane responded. "Yeah. Why?"

"No reason," Elise replied. "Did you do anything fun?"

"Not really." Now, Jane was staring into her plate.

Elise tried harder. "Really? That's too bad. There's some great shows off-Broadway right now. If you want, next time, I could-"

"Sorry," Jane interrupted. "I can't get past..." She emitted a frustrated sigh. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Jane." Thor placed a hand on her forearm. "Let her be."

"I'm sorry, it's just so ridiculous," Jane said. "I can't get over it."

Elise thought she heard Loki mumble something, but she couldn't make out the words.

"Excuse me," Jane said as she stood and dashed off.

"Forgive her," Thor said once she was out of earshot. "She was very troubled by what happened."

"I completely understand. It's a sensitive thing." Elise was somewhat hurt and embarrassed, but Jane's reaction was not completely unexpected.

The rest of the meal passed without another word until everyone seemed to have finished eating and Loki asked quietly: "Elise, may I speak to you before you retire for the evening?"

"Yeah," Elise responded, eager to leave the table. "Are you ready now?"

"Yes."

Elise looked to Frigga. Frigga looked away and waved her hand, dismissing them.

Elise walked beside Loki, flanked by guards, as they made their way to his room. He looked straight ahead, as if he had some new purpose, and as if Elise weren't there.

"Is everything okay?" Elise asked.

"Wait," Loki replied, neither turning his head nor breaking his stride.

Anticipation gripped Elise despite her pharmaceutical-induced calm. If he couldn't say it in front of anyone else, surely it was something big, and perhaps something useful. And if he could say it to only her, then that meant she'd gained his trust. Was this going to be a breakthrough?

Finally, they arrived, and the guards took their places as Elise fumbled with the massive keys until she was able to open the door. The desk chair was still in its place near the foot of the bed, but Loki did not sit, not even when the doors were locked behind them. He paced slowly instead while Elise lingered near the exit.

"I am now in your debt," Loki smiled, raising his hands, palms-open, to demonstrate his freedom. "Many thanks."

"It's no problem," said Elise. "Are you feeling better?"

"I am." Again, Loki seemed to be looking at everything except the person he addressed. When his eyes finally settled on Elise's face, he began to approach her. "Can you keep a secret?"

Oh no.

"It depends what kind," Elise answered.

Loki altered his course and strolled toward the writing desk. "Then perhaps I will withhold this one for now," he said, his back turned.

"Well, don't let that scare you," Elise said, taking a few steps toward him. "I want you to feel comfortable with me. I just can't keep it a secret if you're going to commit a crime, that's all." She wondered whether that was acceptable to disclose as soon as the words left her mouth.

"I assure you, that is not what I intend." Loki turned back. "You seem far more tranquil than you were when you arrived," he observed. "What happened?"

"Valium's a hell of a drug," Elise laughed. Again, she second-guessed herself. Was that appropriate?

"Valium?" Loki questioned.

"Yeah," said Elise. "It calms you down."

"What is it?"

"It's a pill."

Loki seemed intrigued. He moved closer. "Where do you get it?"

"From a doctor," Elise responded, unmoving.

"Very interesting." Loki appeared to examine her for a moment, his eyes moving from her face, to her feet, to her torso, and back to her face again. The up-down. "Elise," he asked, "are you fond of me?"

"How so? And why?" It was weird, tbut Elise indulged him despite her misgivings.

"Curiosity," he smirked. "What is your impression of me?"

Elise took half a step back, toward the door. "I like you well enough."

"You are afraid of me."

"What makes you say that?"

"You were so calm until I came into your midst." Loki stepped even closer.

He was right, but Elise couldn't have him believe that. "It's not that," she assured him. "It's just been a long day."

Loki took another step forward. Elise stepped back and, extending one hand behind her, found that the door was at arm's length.

"There is nothing to fear," Loki nearly whispered. "I am very kind to those who show me kindness."

"That's great," Elise replied, her back almost flush against the wood. "We'll have to show the jury that."

Loki chuckled, then he finally backed away, giving Elise some space. "Yes," he said, something facetious about his tone. "We will show them just that."

Elise relaxed once a distance was re-established. "How do you want to do that? Is there anyone who can attest to your character?"

"Please," Loki said as he turned and began toward the wardrobe, "can that wait until morning?"

"Sure." Now, Elise was becoming frustrated. He hadn't crossed any clear line yet, but she wasn't stupid. He was testing her patience purposefully.

"You may go," Loki called from afar.

Elise was already on her way out when he dismissed her. She was flustered, her peace of mind replaced by an agitated delirium. Maybe she was in over her head.

"Lock the door." It was the guard on the left.

"Thanks." Elise would have forgotten had he not reminded her. With both hands, she fitted the keys in the locks and waited to see sparks. She began down the stairs, then turned back. "Can you walk me to my room?" she requested.

"I cannot," the guard said. "I must remain here."

Elise nodded, then went on her way. She navigated the darkened corridors cautiously, looking over her shoulder intermittently. There wasn't a sound besides the clatter of her shoes against the marble, and not a shadow in sight besides her own. She was imagining things. Before she found her room, she got lost once, and she had to spend several minutes backtracking before correcting her route and arriving, at last, in the right place.

Once she was sure she was alone, Elise kicked off her pumps, rolled down her tights, and melted into a pair of sweatpants before pulling a well-loved t-shirt over her head and letting the hem settle at her hips. She let out a sharp huff before slipping between the heavy blankets. She wondered whether to extinguish the torch on the wall, but decided against it.

She lay awake – she shouldn't have taken a nap – and examined her options. There would be no way to get a hold of Parmeri until she returned to New York, and even if she were able to reach him, she'd probably just appear incompetent if she complained about a difficult client. Her potential replacements were probably lined up around the block already, just waiting for her to fail. She couldn't waste her time in Asgard – that was out of the question. But what would it matter if Loki wouldn't give her anything to work with? She could feign illness, she thought for a moment, and then put the blame on him when she got back. They'd put someone else on the case, and she could work on something else. But that was quitting, and Elise didn't quit.

The thought of someone else deriving all the benefit of what was supposed to be her big break, her way of getting noticed, her project, nagged her. Giving up was not an option. She'd just have to put up with it all. That was the only choice she had. After all, this was good practice; there would always be clients like him. And was he even that bad?

Maybe, Elise thought, she just needed thicker skin. Maybe it would be easier tomorrow.


	4. Aiding and Abetting

In the morning, everything seemed more manageable. Once she was awake, Elise readied herself to the best of her ability – there was no outlet for her flat iron – and marched out of her room to meet with Loki once again, bound and determined to finally hear his interpretation of the events that transpired. Today was going to be different. One day was already wasted, and her time in Asgard was limited.

Elise arrived at the door to Loki's room, placed her handbag on the floor beside her feet, and knocked with one hand as the keys weighed down the other. The guards ignored her.

"Elise?" Loki called. "Is it you?"

"Yeah," Elise replied. "Can I come in?"

"One moment."

Elise waited, trying hard not to make eye contact with the guards. After a few long seconds, she heard Loki's voice again.

"Enter," he said.

One by one, Elise turned the keys in the locks. She collected her bag and pushed open the doors, but looking around, it appeared that Loki had vanished.

"Loki?" she beckoned. "Where are you?"

No response.

"Come on, Loki," she urged. "Stop messing around."

Still nothing.

Had she made way for his escape? There was only one window, and it didn't seem to have been opened. But he was magical, wasn't he? Maybe he didn't even need an open window. Maybe she'd swung the door open too wide and he'd slipped out. The possibilities sped through Elise's mind, and she felt a panic coming on. Surely, she couldn't possibly have _lost_ him, but if he disappeared, it was her fault. She had the keys. What kind of damage was he capable of?

As the heavy door fell shut behind her, Elise tried once more to coax him out, her voice cracking to reveal fear. "Loki, stop it," she pleaded. "This isn't funny. Whe-"

"Good_ morning_!"

Gasping and jumping, startled, Elise wheeled around to find Loki standing at the space on the wall that the door had concealed while it was open.

"What the _hell_?" she shrieked. "What the hell was _that_ for?"

Loki was clearly pleased with his trick. "You are fully awake now, are you not?" He took a few steps as though he intended to approach Elise, but he diverted his path at the last moment and instead walked to his bed, where he then sat.

Elise took in a deep breath in hopes of slowing her heart's rapid thumping. "You got me," she exhaled. "But Loki, we really have to talk about your defense today. This is serious."

"Of course," Loki smiled. He gestured to the desk chair, which was still situated adjacent to the foot of the bed. "Please, sit."

Elise crossed the floor quickly and took her seat. She began by pulling her notebook from her handbag, but by the time she located her pen, Loki was already derailing the conversation.

"You were missed at breakfast," he said. "That is, _I_ missed you. Jane certainly seemed not to. There was something she said, something about your profession..."

"Everybody loves a good lawyer joke," Elise deflected as she found a blank page and readied her pen. "Let's get started."

"Get started with what?"

"With your case."

"So soon? But you've only just arrived."

Elise sighed and rubbed a remaining bit of sleep from her eyes. "Look," she said, "I can't help you if you're not gonna help me."

"What ever do you mean?" Loki asked, making a show of his staged ignorance to Elise's irritation.

Elise had predicted this. She was prepared to be firm.

"What I mean," she explained, "is that if you aren't even going to give me your side of the story, there's nothing I can do for you. My firm's probably the only one willing to represent you, and we're _definitely_ the only one willing to do it for free. If you don't want to talk to me, you're going to lose. And that's fine, if that's what you want. It's your life. But I'd recommend that you take this seriously."

Her speech appeared to have affected Loki. He stared into his lap, either ashamed or hurt, and he seemed to consider each word before forming a response.

"Are you angry with me?" he mumbled faintly, averting his eyes.

Elise hadn't intended to berate him. She certainly hadn't expected him to react like this to her more assertive approach. Perhaps she'd been insensitive to her client's needs; a misstep on her part. "No," she replied in an attempt to correct herself. "That isn't it at all."

"Then what is it?" Loki asked, tilting his head upward to meet her line of sight.

"I just won't be here very long," Elise answered carefully, "and I want to make sure I have the information I need before I go."

Much to Elise's surprise, Loki placed a hand on her knee, gripping lightly, but not at all weakly. Elise tensed. His skin was frigid, though not clammy, and it prickled her skin.

"Please do not be angry," he pleaded. His intonation conveyed a peculiar and disquieting urgency. "I have no one else."

"Don't worry," Elise said, hoping that he would withdraw his touch. "I'm not mad. I just want to get down to business."

Loki backed off, and he seemed to regain his composure. "What do you need?" he asked.

"I just need your version of everything you did in the United States."

As if on cue, Loki began reciting his story from memory, starting with an explanation his agreement with the Chitauri. Elise listened attentively to his justifications and uncertainties, transcribing as much as she could, struggling to keep up with the pace at which he conveyed the time line to her. She did not want to distract him by asking him to slow down or repeat himself. The determination and focus with which Loki now spoke was a welcome change. Elise was satisfied with his cooperation, surprised at his candor and honesty, and, most of all, pleased with herself for gaining his trust.

"Anything else?" she asked when Loki finished speaking.

"I believe that is all," he replied breathlessly, as though merely remembering what had happened had exhausted him.

"A few things jump out at me right away," Elise started, flipping through her notes. "First, about the Chitauri. Would you say you felt threatened by them? Like you couldn't have changed your mind about what you were doing because of what they might do?"

"I suppose. Although-"

"Stop right there," Elise interrupted. "They did _threaten_ you, didn't they?"

"Yes, they did," Loki admitted, "but I could have overpowered them."

Elise suppressed a smile. His cockiness seemed so misguided and naïve to her. "Don't be a tough guy," she said. "If you feared for your life, then you did what you did under duress. So if we can get your charges down to manslaughter, we can run with that."

"Manslaughter sounds far worse than murder," Loki pointed out.

"It's not," Elise explained. "It's a shorter sentence. Although we're aiming for acquittal."

"And what if you cannot negotiate that? What then?"

"Then we're probably dealing with multiple counts of murder – we've discussed that. Or – and this isn't very likely, since you're not a citizen – they could charge you with genocide. They might also try for conspiracy, just to make sure something sticks. Our best bet is probably going to be an affirmative defense."

Loki's brow furrowed and his posture slackened. He inhaled deeply and exhaled a frustrated sigh.

"Hey, relax," Elise said. "This is what I'm here for. We're gonna prepare for every possibility."

"Is it not sufficient that I was justified in my actions?" Loki said, his teeth clenched. "That I sought to bring order to your realm?"

Elise paused for a moment before asking, "Is that really what you thought you were doing at the time?"

"It is not what I _thought_ I was doing," Loki insisted. "It is what I _was_ doing."

Insanity, Elise thought. He didn't understand why what he did was wrong. "Would you mind meeting with a psychologist when we get back to the states?" she asked.

Loki sat up straight. "What are you implying?"

"I just think it might help," Elise responded, lowering her voice.

"A psychologist," Loki repeated. "You intend to hire someone to understand my thoughts?"

"Basically, yes."

"And to what end?"

Elise hesitated, but perhaps, she thought, it was best to be blunt. "I'm suggesting that – well, given your mental state at the time – that whatever indictment is decided upon, you might be successful if you plead 'not guilty by reason of insanity.' Now, I know-"

"Insanity?" Loki hissed. "You think me insane?"

"I think you should be evaluated."

Elise could think of nothing more to say. She began to fear a reaction from Loki as she monitored his physical reaction. Anger, very discernibly, had started bubbling up within him. He bit his lip, grasped the top sheet of the bed in his clenched fists, and shook, just ever so slightly, with fury. The more aggravated he appeared, the louder the voice in Elise's mind urging her to leave became. But just as she thought to cut the meeting short, Loki, with a shudder, stabilized.

"I assure you," he said, hostility vacating his face to make way for a more neutral expression, "that I am not insane. Far from it, in fact." He looked to the door, to the wardrobe, and back to Elise. "I must respectfully decline to be evaluated. I apologize."

Elise gave a quick nod. "That's fine. It's up to you. But if you change your mind, speak up, okay?"

"Of course."

His immediate reaction was still troubling Elise. She wasn't sure how to proceed now. Shifting a bit in her seat to alleviate the discomfort brought on by unexpended adrenaline, she asked, "Are you understanding everything so far? Do you have a decent idea of what your options are?"

"I do," Loki muttered, "but every outcome appears bleak."

"Well," Elise replied, as calmly as she could, "you're gonna be facing some serious charges. Charges that carry heavy sentences. But I promise, we'll do the best we can."

"And you will remain with me through it all, will you not?" The neediness in his eyes was compelling. "Will you promise me that as well?"

She wasn't in a position to make any promise more than an earnest effort, but Elise made one anyway. "Yes," she smiled. "I'll be here every step of the way."

Without warning, Loki seized Elise's hand, the one that had been supporting her pen, and clasped it in both of his. "Thank you," he breathed, maintaining eye contact for a protracted and uneasy few seconds. "Words fail to convey my gratitude."

Elise's palms sweated despite his icy touch. It was time to go. "It's no problem," she said, quickly sliding her hand out from between his. "I'm just gonna go back to my room and work through some of this information."

"So soon?" Loki's disappointment was not nearly as convincing as his desperation.

"Yeah, sorry," said Elise. She rose, but in her maneuvering to avoid accidental physical contact, she kicked and nearly tripped over her handbag, spilling its contents. Embarrassed, she watched as pens and coins rolled in various directions, kneeling to retrieve them.

"That was clumsy," she remarked apologetically. "I'll be out of your way in a sec. I'm sorry."

Loki smiled as he sank to the floor to assist her. "Worry not," he said as he searched beneath the bed for errant objects.

Once everything seemed to be back in its right place, Elise propped her bag up on her shoulder. "See you at lunch," she said, flustered, as she sped through the doors, past the guards, and out into the windowless corridor.

Back in her temporary dwelling, Elise busied herself with organizing the notes she'd taken into a more coherent chronology, scribbling her own interpretations into the margins. She was focused. Without her phone, whose battery power was drained, or her laptop, which she left at home, there were few distractions. However, she would have welcomed some background noise; the near-absolute silence was almost unbearable.

For what she estimated to be a few hours, Elise scratched away, until the sound of a bump from a room somewhere above her own made her suddenly aware of the time and her surroundings. There was no clock, but still, it seemed odd that a guard had not come to escort her to the dining hall yet. Surely it was meal time by now, she thought. Perhaps they'd forgotten her, or perhaps they'd expected her to go on her own. She assumed the latter, closed her notebook, and shut the door behind her before beginning her descent on the stairs.

As Elise neared the hall where she assumed everyone else was already eating, she became acutely aware, once again, of silence. Maybe time hadn't elapsed as quickly as she thought it had. Was she supposed to be wandering around during the day? She hoped no one would fault her for it, if anyone even noticed. But before returning upstairs, Elise reasoned, it would probably be best to check. She didn't want to miss a meal and be perceived as rude or hostile, and it was possible that the lack of conversation was the result of the awkwardness Loki's presence at the table presented.

Peering through the double-doors, once of which was slightly ajar, Elise noticed that the torches lining the walls were all lit. She looked to the end of the long table nearest her; food and wine were laid out, as they had been at dinner the evening before. But as her eyes scanned the full length of the setting, finally settling upon the table's head, a terrible scene presented itself. Thor, Jane, and Frigga were all in their right places, but not upright. They were each bent at the waist, slumped over their plates, thick red wine spilled from a toppled chalice pooling between their bowed heads.

Elise's chest tightened. Her eyes widened to their full size, and her pulse quickened to a dire tempo as a scream pushed forth from her diaphragm. She burst through the entrance, intending to approach and assist, but before she took two steps, a pair of hands reached out from the shadows behind her.

The person to whom they belonged was strong, able to pull Elise into a dimly-lit corner with only an arm around her waist and a palm over her mouth to muffle another mortal shriek. She kicked and thrashed, but her attacker didn't even falter.

"Shh, _shh_, be calm."

Even in the form of an agitated whisper, the voice was instantly recognizable. It was Loki. Knowing this did nothing to comfort Elise. She was going to die, she decided. He was guilty as sin and she was going to die. This was it. Game over.

"Stop moving. Stop," Loki urged firmly. "Be still and silent, and I will release you."

Elise complied, and she was freed. She took a step away and turned to face Loki. He wore not only armor, but a helmet, gold, with horns sprouting from it, supplementing his already daunting height. Sweat rolled off his face in big drops; he was breathing heavily, as if he'd been running; and rather than an appropriate simulacrum of emotion, rather than a caricature of human feeling, his expression conveyed madness, and nothing more. He'd finally snapped.

"What did you _do_?" Elise rasped, keeping her voice low despite her urge to shout at him and her body still despite wanting to run. "_How_?"

From a clandestine pocket located in the folds of his complex attire, Loki produced a familiar pill bottle. He shook it, and it made no sound. It was empty. "You left this behind."

Elise brought her palm over her mouth to partially cover her mortified expression. Her words were muffled as she repeated herself: "What did you do?"

The corners of Loki's mouth curled, and he showed his teeth. "I poured the contents into the water and wine."

The only response Elise could muster was a contortion of her face.

"This medicine is potent," Loki remarked. "How long do you think they will sleep?"

"Forever!" Elise screeched. "They're probably dead!"

"_Quiet_," Loki commanded, taking one aggressive step toward her. "Be quiet, or I will silence you."

A tremor found its way into Elise's hands and shook them violently. "You can't mix those with alcohol," she whispered, her voice wavering as tears threatened to leave her eyes. "They're going to die."

"Jane does not drink the wine. It is too strong for her," Loki commented. "I estimate that she has had four tablets in her water. Will that be sufficient to keep her asleep for a day?"

Elise just stared, verklempt.

"I am _asking_ you," he snarled, "whether that will be sufficient. _Answer me_."

Elise nodded, though she did not know the answer.

"As for the others," Loki continued, hushed, "they will awaken. No mortal invention could bring them eternal rest."

"But _why_?" Elise whispered, perhaps foolishly. "Why?"

Loki responded by snapping up Elise's wrist in his hand and yanking to bring her toward him. "The Tesseract is in my possession," he said, his eyes open wide. "I am free." His smile was sinister. "Once again," he said, "I have you to thank."

Frightened and confused, Elise shook her head. "No," she breathed, "I didn't do anything. All I-"

"Do not be modest, girl," Loki taunted. "Without you, I could never have left my chambers. _You_ unshackled me. _You_ neglected to seal the doors. Do you think I could have subdued the guards were I still restrained?" He tugged sharply on Elise's wrist. "_Do _you?"

She'd forgotten to lock the door. This was all her fault.

"You made good on your promise to help me," Loki continued, his fingers pressing tighter into Elise's skin. "You wanted me to escape, did you not? Are you not pleased with yourself?"

Furious with herself and terrified of him, Elise had only a question: "You're not gonna hurt me, are you?" She could have choked on the lump in her throat.

"Do you intend to give me a reason to hurt you?" He delivered the threat slowly and gently, condescending.

This was a nightmare. It was the worst case scenario, and it was happening. For once, Elise didn't have a plan. She barely even had words. She was cornered.

Loki held the Tesseract in his open palm. "Think of home," he instructed as he guided Elise's fingertips to it.


	5. False Imprisonment

Gasping and shivering, Elise recovered from the instantaneous trip in her living room. The weight of Loki's gaze prolonged the process. When she finally stood, her legs shook, her ears rang, and her extremities tingled as fear and guilt wracked her body.

"Is this your dwelling?" Loki inquired as Elise got to her feet.

"Yeah," Elise exhaled. "This is it."

Loki cringed. "You live in squalor," he commented as he roamed the apartment, inspecting as he went. "Is this all there is?"

"Yeah," Elise replied quietly. She was insulted, but she didn't dare disagree with him.

His eyes refocused on Elise. "This will do," he said.

"What?"

"I said, 'this will do.'"

"Do for what?" A dense feeling settled in Elise's stomach as she realized what was happening.

"I will remain here until the time is right," Loki clarified. He crossed to the window that looked overlooked the street and brought the curtains to a close, then added, "And so will you."

Once more, Elise could do nothing more than shake her head. "No, no, no," she stammered. "Please, no."

"I did not ask for your opinion." Loki turned and paced toward Elise. "You were so eager to rescue me before," he remarked, somewhat sarcastically. "Have you changed your mind?"

"Someone's gonna come looking for me," Elise blurted before she could stop herself.

Loki continued, quickening, toward Elise. "Who will look for you?" he laughed. "Thor? The Avengers?" He kept on until she was trapped between him and a wall. Lowering his voice, he said, "How presumptuous of you, that you think you are of such importance to them."

"I know I'm not," Elise defended. "But you are, and they can probably infer-"

Without warning, Loki threw up a clenched fist and slammed it into the wall beside Elise's head, causing bits of plaster to come dislodged, exposing brick. She squealed, but contained her voice quickly.

"Thor cannot even _communicate_ with this realm while I hold the Tesseract," Loki snapped, his mouth intimately close to Elise's. "No one knows of this besides you and I, and if you value your life, you will keep _mum_."

Elise did just that. She willed her lips shut and forced her anger and fear down.

After a moment of calm, Loki withdrew his hand, and dust fell from the shattered wall onto Elise's shoulder. "That's better," he said. He seemed satisfied with her silence, but he did not back away. "You will not leave this place until you have my permission," he continued. "Is that clear?"

Elise shook her head slightly. "I can't," she whispered, fearing another escalation.

Loki tilted his head forward, casting a shadow over his eyes and lowering the horns of his helmet toward the top of Elise's head and the damaged wall. "You can, and you will," he insisted, his teeth clenched.

"What about work?" Elise suggested timidly. "I have to go to work."

"What _about_ it?"

It was clear that Loki was once again losing his patience, so Elise kept her explanation short. "They'll wonder where I am if I don't show up. They could call the cops."

"And what will happen then?" Loki asked, his question obviously rhetorical. "Do you think 'the cops' will stand against me?"

"Maybe not," Elise replied, her confidence growing, "but then they'll know you're here, and they'll come."

Again, Loki struck the wall, this time cracking the brick. He let out a frustrated growl, turned away from Elise, and took a few steps before wheeling around to face her once more. "Do _not_ attempt to deceive me," he commanded. "When are you expected to be there?"

"Eight 'til four, Monday through Friday," Elise answered quickly. "Sometimes longer if they need me."

"And what is tomorrow?"

"Sunday."

Loki bit his thumb as he mulled the schedule over. Elise watched apprehensively as he emoted, his expression conveying contemplation, irritation, rage, and finally, resignation.

"You will work," he said, "and nothing more. You will go only where you must, and you will use the same route each day."

Elise nodded rapidly.

"And should you choose not to obey me," Loki continued, each word more deliberate than the last, "should you choose to alert anyone of my presence, or should you stray..." he trailed off. He looked to the window, then to the door, and then resumed his speech. "Should you stray – and you will not stray – know that I have ways of finding you, and know that the consequences for your choices will be dire."

Again, Elise nodded. She wanted to show him neither weakness nor resistance, and she knew that if she spoke, he would interpret her words to mean one or the other.

"You have a decision to make now, Elise." Loki's posture seemed to slacken, and he spoke authoritatively, though his hostility had vanished. "Will you do as I say? Will you assist me in reaching what is already nearly in my grasp, or will you delay my good work?" Slowly, he approached Elise again, but this time he halted before she was forced to take a step back. "Will you gamble your own life and countless others," he went on, "or will you have faith in my power?"

Just as Elise opened her mouth to respond, four quick, hard knocks on the door caught her attention.

"Hey, open up," the voice outside called. It was her landlord.

"Answer him," Loki whispered.

Before Elise could turn to look at him, he had vanished. Baffled, she stood, seemingly alone, surveying the room for any sign of Loki's having been there. Another set of knocks reminded her to answer the door.

"I can hear you in there," the landlord half-shouted as Elise approached and reached out for the doorknob.

Opening the door only a quarter of the way, Elise cleared her throat, then asked, "What's up?"

"Everything okay up here?" the landlord queried, craning his fat neck in a thinly-veiled attempt to peer inside for a look at the property. "I was on my way up and I thought I heard you slammin' around or somethin'."

Elise hesitated, weighing the consequences of each potential answer to what on any other day would have been a very simple question. What if she told him what was happening? What if she bolted out the door, past the landlord and out onto the streets? Each scenario played out badly. She'd be caught, maybe killed, possibly even worse. She didn't want to test Loki's temper, nor did she want to know what he could do.

"I'm fine." Her reply came out breathy and weak as she struggled to maintain composure.

"You sure?" her landlord pressed, desperately trying to look beyond her and into the apartment. "What's that shit on the floor?"

Elise looked to the pile of plaster bits that had been punched out of the wall moments before. "Oh," she said. "I did that. I was mad. Sorry." She was sure the tears pooling at the bottoms of her eyes would give her away.

"Mm-hm." The landlord nodded and flashed a sarcastic smirk. "Whatever. Just keep it down, okay? And this is comin' outta your deposit. Just sayin'."

"Okay, sorry, thanks." Elise shut the door slowly and listened as his footsteps faded. She wished that her landlord, the guy who lived above her, had shown more concern. He knew something was wrong when he saw the plaster. He knew. But he wasn't going to do anything, and neither was anyone else.

Finally, Elise started crying. At first, she just faced the door as tears made their way down her cheeks and rolled off her chin, but after a few seconds of that, she was sobbing. She turned to retreat to the couch, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands, but Loki reappeared before her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Are you _weeping_?" he asked, concern noticeably absent from his voice. "Why are you weeping?"

Elise responded by crying harder, drawing in shallow, jagged breaths. She slid past him and plopped herself down, sinking into the soft cushion of the sofa and bending at the waist so that her head nearly reached her knees. She heard Loki laugh.

"So strong-willed, so sure of yourself, and yet you weep because of me?" He sat down beside her, and she pushed her body into the couch's arm.

"Please, just leave," Elise pleaded. "I won't call the cops. I won't say anything to anyone. Just get out of here. Please."

"I will do no such thing," Loki taunted. "Besides, it would be a shame for you to miss what I have planned for this realm."

His words were like a blow to the gut. He was going to re-offend. Elise was aiding and abetting not just a criminal, but an alleged mass-murderer, and whether she was doing so against her will or not, she knew what the consequences would be.

"I'm gonna lose my job," she mumbled. That was the best case scenario.

Again, Loki laughed. "When I am king," he said, "I will give you a new one. That is, if you answer my question."

"What?" Elise lifted her head and gazed at him vacantly.

"I had asked you a question before we were interrupted." He seemed distracted, his eyes fixed on the shaded window. "What will you do?"

She sighed, defeated, and more tears frothed forth. "Whatever you want," she whined, "if you promise not to hurt me."

"Then we have a deal." He placed a hand on Elise's knee, shaking her playfully, much to her dismay. "Now," he smiled, "shall we eat something? I never did finish my meal."

Was he joking? If so, Elise thought, it was more than just too soon.

"Go on, then," Loki urged, impatient. "You've promised to do as I ask. Do it."

He was serious. Elise stood and fled to the kitchen.

Opening the refrigerator door, she found that she was woefully unprepared. She pushed aside a near-empty carton of milk and pulled out a half-finished six-pack of beer, placing it on the floor to see what was behind it. There wasn't much; she found a bag of lettuce, some bread, but no meat or cheese for a sandwich. She removed two of the bottled beers from their packaging and placed the remaining one back on its shelf before closing the fridge and opening the freezer. Frozen vegetables – no time for that – and chicken nuggets. They'd have to do. She plunked roughly ten of them onto a plate, placed the plate in the microwave, and started the timer.

Her hands shook as she reached out to open the drawer that contained the bottle opener. It took her two tries to open the first beer, but once the cap was off, she lifted the bottle to her lips, rolled back her head, and took a long gulp. She finished off half of the bottle before the nuggets were cooked, and a distinct, comforting blurriness enveloped her head.

"What's that sound?" Loki's voice rang out, heavy with accusation.

Elise froze. "What sound?"

He appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. "That buzzing. What is it?" What device are you using?"

The microwave emitted a protracted beep. Elise pushed the button to release the door. "This?" she asked innocently.

"Yes," Loki said. "That."

"It's just the microwave." Elise trembled as she removed the plate and offered him the snack. "I made chicken nuggets."

Loki eyed the microwave with skepticism for several, long seconds before finally accepting the small offering. "Bizarre people," Elise thought she heard him grumble as he returned to the couch.

She sighed, relieved, when he was out of sight once more. Leaning against the counter, Elise calmed herself, drawing in a deep breath and exhaling gradually. Once her legs would carry her, she followed Loki out of the kitchen, toting the beers she had opened. She set the full bottle down gently on the coffee table in front of Loki before taking a swig from her own half-empty container. Rather than sit down beside him, she stood, drinking and trying not to look at him while she contemplated her next move.

"You need not wait right there," he said, as though he had read her mind. "You may go and... do whatever it is you usually do."

Without a word more, Elise went to the kitchen, finished her drink, and left the empty bottle on the counter. She then proceeded to the bathroom and, taking care to lock the door, prepared to shower. Under the hot water, she attempted to relax, but she remained on-guard, and she worried that Loki would intrude on her privacy. The noises he made as he moved about her apartment, while nearly inaudible behind the door, grated at her ears. She wanted to stay there in the shower until he left, but she knew he wasn't leaving.

It occurred to Elise that her handbag and its contents hadn't returned with her from Asgard. The thought of having lost all of her notes and all of the materials relating to her client's case was almost as jarring as the fact that he was sitting in the adjacent room. Perhaps worst of all, her phone was gone, and she did not expect to get it back.

"Shit," she mumbled, frustrated and fearful. "Shit, shit, _shit_."

When the skin on her fingers began to wrinkle, it was time for Elise to leave the warm comfort of the shower. She shivered once the water was off and grasped for a towel. Once her body was mostly dry, she put back on the clothes she had been wearing before she got in rather than walking to her room nearly naked. At least she could maintain an illusion of privacy, if nothing else.

Entering her bedroom, Elise noticed that the sun was beginning to set despite the fact that the window faced another building's facade. Though all she could see through the glass was brick, at this time of day, it was bathed in the bronze light that crept in between the high-rises. Without access to her phone's many functions and unable to work without the notes and documents she'd lost, Elise lay down on her side and watched as the sun's glow diminished. It was early when it finally disappeared, but still, she went to sleep.


	6. Resistance

In the morning, Elise lingered in her room. Having gone to bed several hours earlier than she normally would have, she was awake long before her neighbors and, she assumed, hearing no sounds coming from the other room, before Loki.

Shifting onto her back, Elise pulled the covers up to her neck and tried to make a plan. Her whole routine would have to change, she knew. It was Sunday, but she couldn't attend church, run errands, or catch up with her family and friends. He probably wasn't even going to let her shop for groceries. They were both going to starve. She just knew it.

Distractions were few and far between in Elise's bedroom, but she didn't want to wake Loki up, and even if he wasn't still sleeping, she didn't want to have to talk to him. She just wanted to sit on the couch, alone, and watch the news while she browsed the internet, sipping a cup of coffee. Instead, her entire day would be devoted to avoiding conflict or, more likely, trying to diffuse it. This wasn't her job, and she didn't want to do it.

The more she stewed, the more Elise wished that Skip Parmeri would call her and ask her to come to the office to work. She had never had to work on a Sunday before, but maybe, she thought, if she was lucky, today would be the day.

Then, just as the clock struck nine and the alarm sounded, Elise again remembered her missing phone. She bit the edge of her comforter, suppressing a desperate scream.

"Elise!"

"God damn it," she muttered. Loki was awake.

His voice grew louder and more insistent. "_Elise_! Come _here_!"

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, sighed, and then stood. Still wearing her clothes from the night before, Elise dragged herself along until she was in the living room. She ran her palms over her hair to flatten the bumps and inconsistencies in it.

Loki was pacing, but when Elise entered the room, he stood still, tilting his head as he looked to her. "What were you doing?" he asked. He seemed to have assumed that she had the energy for sedition this early in the day.

"I was sleeping," Elise replied.

Loki's frown deepened, and he adopted a scathing and facetious manner of speaking. "Well, if you're quite ready, I would like to start the day now."

He was acting like a spoiled brat, Elise thought, but rather than verbalizing her displeasure with his attitude, she asked, "Do you want some coffee or something?"

"Coffee?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing.

Elise sighed. "I'll go make it. You can try it if you want." She shuffled to the kitchen, still groggy, and she didn't notice that Loki was following her until she had opened the cabinet that housed the coffee filters.

"You do realize that poisoning my drink will do you no good, don't you?" Loki's tone was serious, but he smiled. "I sense that I am not welcome here."

Elise paused for a moment before continuing with the process of readying the coffee maker. "I wouldn't do that," she said quietly.

"And why not?" Loki pressed.

Elise was now wondering that herself. "I'm not that kind of person."

"Then it has to do with morals, does it?"

"I guess so," she replied as she poured water from the coffee pot into the back of the machine.

Loki chuckled. "_Morals_," he repeated. "What good have they done you?"

"Lately," Elise said, her voice edged with irritation, "not a whole hell of a lot." She turned the coffee maker on, and almost immediately, it began to leak and flood the counter top. "Damn it! Damn it, not today!" This relatively small frustration, on top of everything else, brought her to tears.

Loki's eyes didn't leave her as she unraveled several sheets of paper towel from the roll and mopped up the spilled water. "Did I upset you?" he asked, smirking.

Elise took in a deep breath, threw the wet paper towels in the trash, and said, "I'm just gonna go watch TV."

Loki did not protest as she returned to the living room, but he continued shadowing her. He stood behind the sofa as she sat down, picked up the remote control, and turned on the morning news. The same story that had been running for a month – the one about Parmeri's big _pro bono_ case - was still running, but now with a bizarre twist.

"It's you," Loki observed as Elise's portrait from her last year of law school appeared on the screen.

The anchorwoman babbled on. "We've learned from an inside source that Elise Milton, a second-year lawyer, is heading up Loki Laufeyson's defense team. She could not be reached for comment as of this morning."

"Is that what you're doing?" Loki taunted. "How very kind of you."

Elise gritted her teeth as she flipped to the next news channel. It was worse. Again, her portrait appeared, but this anchor didn't mince words.

"And look, they've got a _rookie_ on the case!" he exclaimed from his desk. "Who is this... this _young_ _lady_? She can't be any older than twenty-five, twenty-six at most. They complained and ranted about a 'fair trial' and a 'good defense,' and now they're leaving it up to a kid? This is an absolute-"

Again, she changed the channel, and she finally found something worth watching.

"Yesterday, the Security Council condemned North Korea's most recent rocket launch, calling the event 'a threat to regional and global peace and security.' A spokesman cited fears that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un intends to develop and eventually launch nuclear weapons." As the voice-over continued, stock film of North Korean military exercises and demonstrations rolled.

"Who are they?" Loki asked. "Are they of this realm?"

"They're North Koreans," Elise answered.

"Yes, I am aware, but who _are_ they?" He seemed intensely interested, almost desperate for information.

"North Korea is basically closed off from the rest of the world. I don't know that much about it."

"Closed off?" He meandered around the side of the couch and toward the television. "How so?"

"They're a dictatorship," Elise explained. "There's a whole personality cult built around their leader."

"And why does this council condemn them?" Loki badgered. "Should they not be able to defend themselves?"

"Because they hate the whole Western world."

"Is that so?" He touched his index finger to his lips, pensive. "What more do you know about them?"

"Nothing," Elise replied honestly.

Apparently dissatisfied with her response, Loki took one last look at the television. When the subject of the newscast changed, he began pacing once more, this time more purposefully. Elise watched him; he looked excited, energized, full of potential for action. It was troubling.

"Tomorrow," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Tomorrow," Loki repeated. "I must not be as hasty as I was on my last attempt." He seemed to be talking to himself.

A sour, dissonant feeling came over Elise. She didn't want to know - and she certainly didn't want to be involved with – whatever plan he was undoubtedly hatching. She couldn't stop him from scheming, so she just sat, her forehead tense with worry, staring as he wandered back and forth across the floor.

Finally, Loki stopped. "Prepare something to eat," he commanded.

"I need... I mean, there's..." Elise tripped over her words. "There's nothing to eat."

"Nothing to eat?" His eyes scanned her body as though he were considering making a meal of her. "Do you never _eat_, girl?"

Elise chafed at having been called 'girl,' but, in newly-formed habit, she swallowed her contempt. "No, I eat all the time," she assured him. "I usually get my groceries on Sundays after church, but-"

"But I won't allow you to leave." Loki stroked his chin as he assessed her from toe to head.

"Yeah." Elise watched the floor for lack of wanting to look him in the eye. "But if you let me go, I swear, I'll come right back. I won't tell anyone you're here. I won't even talk to anyone except the cashier. I swear to God."

A slight laugh escaped Loki's throat. "You swear to _God_, do you?" he mocked. He fixed his gaze on Elise's face, calling her eyes up to his.

"It's just down the block." She felt like a teenager bargaining with an overprotective parent. "I'll be back in less than an hour."

"Yes, you will," he said. "Go there. Return promptly."

"Thank you," Elise replied, trying hard to sound grateful. "Tha-"

"But," Loki interrupted. "I will be with you."

Elise's heart sank. "But if someone sees-"

"No, you misunderstand me." He seemed to be threatening her. "Take heed. I will be watching and listening. Not even you will sense my presence, but I will be there." He grew more and more frightening as he went on. "I will know your every movement, and not even the slightest misstep will go unpunished."

Elise stared, eyes wide, until he softened, clearly satisfied with the fear he saw in her expression.

"Go."

As quickly as she could, Elise located her checkbook – the only currency to which she had access with her wallet still in Asgard – and put on her coat and shoes. She walked briskly down the stairs, out of the building, and across the street, her ungloved hands sheathed in her pockets. Looking back only briefly at the window of her apartment, she observed that the curtains had not been parted. There was no sign that Loki was watching, at least not from that vantage point. She was scared, and her face curled up as she fought urges to run and to cry. She kept her eyes low until she reached the relative safety of the grocery store.

The store was crowded; this was comforting. Even if Loki's threat was real, Elise thought, he might lose track of her here. Basket in hand, she navigated the aisles, feverishly adding cereal, prepackaged deli products, and frozen dinners until the weight of it all nearly tore her arm from her shoulder. Then she took the most efficient route to the temperature-controlled shelves that housed the beer.

Elise nearly had to drag the twenty-four pack and basket to the register, and she set the beer on the floor beside her feet while she stood in line. Her basket was overflowing; she was well out of "ten items or less" range. The wait was torturous. She tried to calculate how long she had been gone, searching the walls for a clock and failing to find one. Bouncing on her knees and using her free hand to fidget, she obsessed over the possibility that she was being monitored. She craned her neck to see what was unfolding at the front of the line. Someone was counting coins for exact change. Didn't he know that some people had deadlines to meet? Elise kept her mouth shut to muffle a groan, but she still caught the attention of the man in front of her, who turned slightly to glare at her over his shoulder.

By the time she reached the cashier, Elise was a nervous wreck. She summoned the strength to hoist the case of beer onto the counter, but her fingers trembled as she unloaded the groceries, one by one, from the basket. "Do you have the time?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Five of eleven," the girl behind the counter responded as she scanned a box of Cheerios.

Elise shuddered. She had five minutes to check out and get herself home, and she wasn't going to make it.

"You okay?" the cashier asked. "You look kind of shaky."

This was her chance, Elise thought. If she was going to do anything, the time was now. She surveyed her surroundings for any sign of Loki – there was none – and then spoke up. "I'm not," she whispered, leaning in close to confide in the grocery store employee. "Look, can you-"

"_Ah_!"

Before Elise could explain what she needed, something black fluttered across her field of vision and the cashier's, prompting them both to duck.

"It's a _bat_!" the employee shrieked, covering her head as the creature flapped around her in a stupor. "_Bat_!"

The attention of the entire store was on the wicked little animal and the screaming cashier until someone braver emerged with a broom to chase the flying menace outside through the automatic doors.

Her hair a mess and her face red, the cashier stood up and exhaled. "Hoo, boy," she breathed. "Sorry. That was crazy. I guess we're both having a bad day, huh?"

Elise just nodded, wrote a check, and left the store without saying another word.

She didn't stop on her way home except to adjust the positioning of the heavy plastic bags on her arms. It was only a block, but the weight of everything she carried made the walk feel longer. When she finally reached her building, rather than traverse the stairs, Elise opted for the elevator, which she rode alone.

When she opened the door, Loki appeared neither surprised nor happy to see her. From the couch, he turned his head only slightly to look at her before turning back to face the television. "Was your trip... uneventful?" he asked, his voice low and barely audible.

"Yeah," Elise replied nervously. "Pretty uneventful."

"And you spoke to no one?" His even tone skewed, revealing what could only be anger.

"Just the cashier," she responded uneasily, placing the groceries down on the floor and unbuttoning her coat. "When I was checking out."

Slowly, Loki got to his feet. He didn't walk, but prowled toward Elise. "What did I say to you before you left?"

"You said..." Fearful and shaken, Elise couldn't remember exactly what was said. "You said..."

"I _said_ that I would be watching you," he spat. "We had an _understanding_, did we not?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elise lied. "I didn't do anything."

"You _lying wench_!" Loki roared, bringing his hands up as though he meant to put them around her throat, then lowering them again, perhaps changing his mind.

Elise backed away as Loki closed in on her. Momentarily, she wondered why she instinctively put herself in a corner whenever she was threatened. It was a terrible position, but she gravitated to it. "I'm not lying," she squeaked, "I swear."

"You tried to alert the shopkeeper to my presence," he hissed, "I _heard_ you. I heard you _whispering_."

"I'm sorry," Elise whimpered. "I'm really, really sorry, it won't happen again!"

"Perhaps I did not make myself _clear_."

To Elise's amazement and terror, a change occurred, first in Loki's eyes, which seemed to glaze over with bright red blood, and then in his skin, which transformed into a craggy, frozen landscape. With little distance between them, Elise first felt the heat leaving his body, and then bitter cold. She watched as he raised his hand, and she cried out when he grasped her bare wrist. The pain was excruciating, burning, what she imagined an acid bath might feel like.

"You will not disobey me again," Loki stated deliberately, his words horribly distorted. "Is that clear _now_?"

"_Yes_!" Elise howled as the pain permeated her flesh and touched bone. She felt sick, dizzy, and unsteady on her feet.

"Good." Loki did not withdraw his hand, but his skin steadily warmed until he looked and felt like himself again. He was perspiring noticeably. The sweat on his palm was somewhat soothing to Elise's corroded skin.

"_Why_?" Elise cried between sharp, shallow breaths. "Why would you _do_ that?"

"So that you know that I can," Loki said. Rather than letting her go, he pulled Elise by her arm toward her bedroom. "Go in there," he ordered, pushing her lightly. "Stay in there until you have carefully considered what you will say to me when you come out." With that, he slammed the door shut, and the apartment was quiet once again.

Elise knelt by her bed, sobbing into her mattress, until she was ready to see what damage had been done to her wrist. The skin was mostly red and blistered, but bluish and hardening in the places where his fingers had left the deepest impressions. She didn't dare touch the wound. She wanted to go to the hospital. She cried louder.

For a long time – she didn't know just how long – Elise stayed in her room. She stood for a while, staring out at the brick wall across the alley. The fire escape extended down from the living room window, and jumping would surely kill her; she wasn't that desperate yet. She lay down in her bed, under the covers, but she couldn't make herself comfortable no matter how she tried, so she sat up until she was calm.

Eventually, Loki returned. He pushed the door open ever-so-gently, and pity was written in wrinkles on his forehead. "Does it hurt still?" he asked softly.

Elise nodded. "It burns like hell."

Loki's eyes wandered the small room before returning to her wrist. "May I suggest something?"

"What?"

"Would it not be easier," he said, "rather than lamenting over this relatively mild pain, to simply resolve not to bring any more of it upon yourself?"

"I already said I wouldn't do it again," Elise replied.

"Yes," Loki said, moving to seat himself beside her on the mattress, "but still, you resent me. I know that you do."

"How can I _not_?" Elise snapped. She was letting herself get worked up again. She took a deep breath to regain her composure.

Loki stood once more and positioned himself in front of her. "I believe that you will find everything to be simpler once you submit to a power higher than yourself."

"You mean you?"

"Yes," he said, gazing down at her. "Submit to me. Stop resisting what cannot be resisted." He flashed a pearly smile. "When you do, I can promise you a peaceful existence. Is that not what you want?"

Elise glanced at her blistered forearm. "I guess so," she answered.

"Really, this is nothing more than an exchange," Loki urged. "I will give you calm. I will end the pain of your ongoing struggle for control. And in return, all I ask is that you give up your own will."

Elise didn't know how to respond. "Can I think about this for a minute?"

"You may," Loki said as he turned to leave the room, "though the choice is rather obvious. Trust in me, do exactly as I command. Only then will you come to understand your powerlessness as a gift." He paused before closing the door behind him. "Come to me when you are ready."

Elise found herself alone again, still in pain, but far more confused than she had been before. But wasn't that the problem to which Loki was offering a solution? Mustering her courage, Elise touched a finger to the blackest part of the burn. She shivered at the lack of sensation. Anything she could do to avoid losing an arm, she decided, she would do.

Elise proceeded the living room, where Loki stood, ready to greet her.

"Okay," Elise said.

Loki's face brightened. "It is easy, is it not?"

Elise shrugged.

"Are you prepared to accept me as your God?" he asked, holding his head high. "Will you resign yourself to a life as my mortal servant?"

With a shallow sigh, Elise nodded. It sounded wholly unappealing when he phrased it that way, not to mention blasphemous.

"Good," Loki said. "Then kneel."

Elise obeyed despite her humiliation. When she looked up, she saw Loki grinning broadly, his eyes sparkling with malintent.

"Now," he said, "let us see what can be done about your arm."


	7. Culpability

Before work, Elise stood in front of the bathroom sink unwinding the loosely-wrapped bandage that Loki had applied to her wrist. The fabric stuck to the blisters, some of which had popped under pressure, stinging her skin. She turned on the faucet and tested the water's temperature before placing the damaged part of her arm under it, as per Loki's instructions. Then she dried off with a towel and wrapped her wound back up again. Every step in the process hurt, and it only seemed to make matters worse.

Empty-handed but for a blank notebook and a pen, Elise went to the door. "I'm going now," she said as she passed the kitchen and Loki, hoping that he wouldn't change his mind about allowing her to work.

"When will you return?" he called.

Elise took a few more steps toward the exit. "A little before five."

"Very well," Loki replied, unaffected. "Remember: I see you."

Before he could say something to upset her, Elise left the building. She didn't dare stop for coffee, and as usual, she arrived early. The elevator doors hadn't even closed in front of her yet when someone spotted her.

"Hey, Elise! Hold the door!" It was another associate, someone else on the team defending Loki, and she seemed to be a morning person. "Thanks," she breathed as she entered the elevator and positioned herself at the back wall next to Elise. "How was your trip?"

"It was alright," Elise replied.

Unfortunately, the conversation did not end there. "What was it like?" the associate asked excitedly. "I want to hear _all _about it!"

"It wasn't really anything special."

"Oh, come on, don't be so secretive," the co-worker pushed as the elevator arrived at its destination. "Hey, I'll see you in there, okay?" she said as she exited.

"Okay."

When her co-worker went right, Elise went left and headed directly to the conference room.

"Elise! You're early!" Skip Parmeri bumbled toward her with his arms open wide. "You ruined the surprise!"

Elise glanced to the table. There was a large, white cake with text in blue frosting that read: "Congratulations, Elise!" Paper plates and a box of plastic forks accompanied it.

"Sorry," she said, trying to smile. "I just wanted to get here on time."

"No problem," Parmeri beamed. "I figured you'd be jet-lagged or something, show up late, but I guess I shouldn't have expected that from you."

"No, sir," Elise replied, setting down her notebook in the usual place. "Not me."

There was a pause, and then Parmeri asked the obvious question. "So," he said, "how'd it go?"

"It went fine," Elise answered. "But I lost my phone."

"Don't worry about that." Parmeri dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. "You got a burn phone yet?"

"Not yet. But..." Elise hesitated. "I lost everything else, too. My notes and everything."

"Oh." Parmeri frowned. "How'd you manage that?"

"Long story." It really was. "But don't worry, I remember most of it, I just have to get it all on paper again."

"You've still got the memo in your e-mail, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright," Parmeri sighed. "I guess you're fine. But don't go losin' stuff like that, okay?"

"Got it." Already, this morning was going badly, but not quite as badly as Elise had feared.

Soon, the rest of the attorneys assigned to Loki's case filed in. The associate from the elevator, of course, seated herself right next to Elise.

"What happened to your arm?" she whispered, feigning shock and concern.

"Sprained it," Elise responded as she tugged her sleeve down to cover the visible portion of the bandage.

"Let's get started," Parmeri said, his voice loud enough to be heard over the chatter that filled the conference room. "You've all probably noticed already, but Elise is back." He paused to permit a small ripple of applause before continuing. "I'm sure she's got a whole lot to tell us about, but first..."

With that, the meeting began. Parmeri's speech was particularly lively - perhaps he was excited to finally be moving forward with Loki's case - but still, he couldn't hold Elise's attention. At least her wandering thoughts were work-related; she imagined herself speaking privately with Parmeri after the meeting, probably recusing herself, and possibly losing her job. She calculated the chances of being readmitted after she was inevitably disbarred, and she pictured herself rattling off excuses to a disciplinary board, or worse, to a judge in federal court.

"'Lise?" Parmeri had paused in his speech, and everyone in the conference room seemed to be waiting. "You got an answer for us?"

"Oh. Yes," Elise replied with a nod.

The eyes of the room remained on her for a few seconds more. At least one associate was stifling laughter.

"So," Parmeri pressed, "what's the answer?"

"The answer is yes," Elise said, hoping that her pretended confidence would compensate for her lack of preparation. Apparently, it did not.

Parmeri pressed a sweaty palm to his forehead. "You want me to repeat the question, 'Lise?"

Her face feeling hot, Elise said it again: "Yes."

With a frustrated sigh, her boss repeated himself. "I'm asking you what's going on with our client. What's his deal?"

"Sorry, thanks," Elise said, flustered. "His deal is that he's a bit uncooperative. He admits guilt, but he thinks he's justified. The good news is that we might be able to show that he acted under duress, maybe extreme emotional disturbance-"

"Provocation?" Parmeri interrupted.

"What?"

"What _provoked_ him?"

"That's a whole, separate can of worms," Elise sighed. "Family problems mostly, but I don't know if that's enough."

"What're you getting at, 'Lise?" Parmeri seemed to be getting impatient with her scattered analysis. "You think duress, or you think E.E.D.?"

"Hear me out," Elise said. "I think insanity might be our best bet..."

Her explanation was drowned out by her co-worker's mumbles and whispers. The voice of an older, more veteran associate across the table from Elise cut through the cacophony: "Insanity?" he remarked. "Are you kidding?"

"No," Elise protested, "I'm completely serious. Duress might not work – he could have backed out – but if we can get him to sit down with a psychologist, they'll find-"

"He's willing to talk to a shrink?" Parmeri said, eyebrows raised.

"Well, no," Elise admitted. "But we should at least try to convince him to. He said to me that he felt he was justified. I think he thought he was saving the world, or something like that. There was a sense of moral urgency that probably came from his psychotic fantasies. Get him in with a psychologist, and they'll tell you that, too."

"But that's not what he _wants_," the associate across the table nagged. "You can't _make_ him do it, it's his choice!"

"Oh, _please_," Elise retorted, becoming agitated. "I don't think he even understands what's going to happen to him if he's convicted, let alone-"

"Unfit to stand trial?" Parmeri suggested.

"Yeah," Elise said, still irate, but winding down. "Yeah, I'd say he's probably unfit."

"Okay, we'll run with that for now." Parmeri stood and backed away from the table. "Meeting's over. Get to work. 'Lise, my office."

Without another word, Elise followed Parmeri down the hallway and into his spacious, modern workspace. She knew exactly where to sit - in the black office chair in front of the desk - but she waited for his word.

"Have a seat."

She did.

"What's going on with you?" Parmeri asked, standing behind his desk. He was surprisingly calm, but obviously not pleased. "When I ask you for the rundown, you give me a one-word answer? You leave your brain in Asgard, too?"  
"I'm really sorry," Elise replied. "I guess my mind was somewhere else."

"No shit. What's your problem today? You get any sleep?"

"It's not that. I've just got a lot going on right now."

"'Lise, this case has gotta be _all_ you've got goin' on right now." Parmeri finally took his seat. "Hey, what's wrong with your arm?"

"It's a sprain," Elise replied quickly.

"Sprains don't bleed," Parmeri observed. He lowered his voice. "You got problems at home?"

"What do you mean by that?" She looked, and her bandage was tarnished red. Another blister must have broken.

"Don't wanna get too personal, but..." Parmeri hesitated. "Well, that don't look good. You know they've got stuff out there now for, you know, lawyers with depression, right?"

"It's nothing like that," Elise assured her boss. "I'll be fine. It was just an accident."

Parmeri sighed, stood, and walked to the door, which he held open for Elise. "Take the rest of the day off. Get your head straight."

"You sure?" Elise asked, approaching the exit.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure."

Disappointed in herself and not wanting to go home, Elise left the building. She had said she wouldn't be home until much later, but she was being watched, she knew, and if she stopped, even at the bank to cash a check or at the bagel shop to get something hot to drink, she was finished. Slowly, she walked home, dragging her feet and for once looking up at the buildings that lined her route. When she was a tourist, just visiting law schools, they were monuments to opportunity. Now, they looked like prison walls.

The walk up the stairs to her apartment was too short. Before she knew it, Elise was at her door. She took a deep breath before opening it, but when she did, to her surprise, no one was there to greet her. Everything was still and quiet.

"Loki?" Elise called as she opened every door, peeking around the corners. "Loki, where'd you go?"

At first, his absence came as a relief, but quickly, Elise realized what that meant for the world outside her apartment. He was out there, somewhere, and if he hadn't done anything yet, he was going to.

"Loki, where are you?" she called more frantically. She turned on the television to see if he had done anything newsworthy; it appeared that he hadn't. The curtains were still drawn, and the fire escape hadn't been touched. Everything was exactly as she had left it.

"Loki," she shouted into thin air, "if you're here, say something!"

He was audible before he was visible: "What is it?"

Elise turned to the source of the voice and watched, through a veil of light, as Loki apparated in front of her, the sight of him growing gradually clearer. Again, he was donning the gold, horned helmet he came with; Elise wondered where he had been storing it.

"What?" He spoke quickly, and his eyes seemed unable to focus on any one thing. "Why did you call for me?"

"I just didn't know where you were," Elise said.

"Well," Loki huffed, "did you think that I would idle here all day, waiting for you to return?"

"But where were you?"

He laughed. "I, too, have meetings to attend."

"Meetings?"

"Are you... _questioning_ me?" He dropped his jaw in sarcastic surprise. "I thought you trusted me."

"No, no, I do," Elise lied. "I was just worried someone saw you."

"Oh, I was seen," Loki smiled. "But I have no doubts that my secret will be kept."

"I don't understand."

"You need not understand." He cupped Elise's face in his large, cold hands, and he lowered his volume to a whisper. "You need only obey." He lingered for a moment, then broke away abruptly, turning to look behind him before turning back. "I have something for you."

"What? Why?" Elise wasn't sure she wanted it.

"You question even my kindness," Loki said, his smile distorted into a wicked grin. "In Asgard, you said that you were fond of me, but now you will not accept my gifts. Why do you wound me so, Elise?"

He was joking, pretending melodrama, but it wasn't clear whether Elise was supposed to laugh, so she didn't.

"Here," Loki said after an uncomfortable moment of silence. He dipped his hand into a well-hidden pocket and removed a thin, metallic chain. It took a moment for Elise to notice that a complex pendant hung from it.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked, suspicious. "It's not stolen, is it?"

"Of course not," Loki said, his hands busy untangling the necklace. "It was a gift."

"From whom?"

Casually, he answered, "From the ambassador I spoke with."

"You're talking to _ambassadors_?" Elise exclaimed. "Where'd you go, the United Nations?"

"_Shh_, don't shout." With the chain finally untangled, Loki moved to stand behind Elise. "The story is simple, really," he whispered as he pushed her hair off of the back of her neck.

Elise tensed when his hand brushed her skin. All she could think as he fastened the necklace was that he was in a perfect position to strangle her.

"This ambassador," Loki explained quietly, "asked me whether I had a wife. I told him no, I do not. He gave this to me and expressed hope that I would find one. I have no use for a woman's jewelry, and that is why," he said as he returned to Elise's front, "it is now yours."

"Well, thank you," Elise said, though it felt wrong to accept. "It sounds like you made some friends... wherever you were."

"Friends, perhaps, but allies, certainly." Loki wandered to the window, parting the curtains a sliver to peer outside.

"Careful," Elise said. "Someone could see."

He ignored her. "Soon," he said, letting the curtains fall closed, "I will make this my kingdom."

"What?"

"This," he said, pulling one of the curtain panels aside but standing against the wall, out of view. "Look at it. Is it not terrible?"

"I don't think it's that bad," Elise replied.

"But it could be so much _more_," Loki said, dropping the curtain again. His mind seemed lost; he looked euphoric. "Such a modest realm, such a _pure_ realm... well, pure it _will_ be, once it is purged."

"Whoa, wow," Elise stuttered. His choice of words was startling. "Hold on... hold... wait, what have you been doing?"

"Full of questions, aren't you?" He left the window's vicinity for the kitchen. Elise followed.

"What are you purging?" she asked, desperate. "Don't tell me-"

Loki wheeled around and said, in a hushed roar, "Little girl, do not test my patience with these questions, for I will give you no answer. All you must know is that your allegiance will be rewarded, and when the Koreans-"

"Oh my God," she yelled, bringing a hand to her mouth, "you went to North Korea, didn't you?"

Even Loki's skin seemed to shake. He was furious, Elise knew, and she agonized as she waited for whatever violence was coming. She watched as his jaw tensed, as he clenched his fists, and then, in a turn of events she hadn't expected, as he smiled, then laughed. "Very clever," he commented, placing his hands gently on her shoulders and giving her a light shake. "Very clever, indeed." His tone quickly changed from playful to condescending when, bringing one hand up to touch her cheek, he said, "Now prepare us a meal, won't you?"

She was offended, but Elise knew that testing Loki's temper was not a winning strategy. She chose the non-confrontational approach, placing two Hot Pockets in the microwave as quietly as she possibly could and remaining in the room while they cooked and cooled.

Dutifully, Elise brought dinner to the living room along with two canned beers. She sat beside Loki on the sofa, leaving some space between her own body and his. She had hoped for quiet, but Loki wanted to talk.

"You returned from work early," he said. "Why was that?"

"My boss sent me home," Elise answered.

"For what reason?"

Elise took a sip of her beer. "Oh, I'm sure he had a lot of reasons."

"Hm." Loki seemed to ponder as he chewed.

"But," Elise continued, "I'm going back tomorrow, and... well, I don't really know what we're going to do tomorrow."

"Oh, but were you not supposed to convince me that I am... what was the phrase, Elise?"

Damn it, she thought. He was picking another fight. "What phrase?"

"Unfit?" he snarled. "Insane? Which is it?"

"Loki, I'm sorry," Elise said, "but you have to look at that stuff in context. It doesn't mean what you think it means."

"'Psychotic fantasies,' are they?" He raised his voice. "I would sooner return to Asgard to _rot_ than allow your realm's tribunals to dismiss what I have tried to do as _fantasies_." He didn't move toward Elise – he barely even changed his posture – but the look he gave her was enough to make her shake.

"I can't..." She was ready to cry.

"You can't do what?"

Elise stood and backed away from the couch, anticipating an overreaction to her next words. "I can't be your lawyer anymore."

She was right to be worried, it seemed. For several seconds, Loki just sat, his face screwing up and his eyes darting around. Then, he got to his feet. He took a few steps toward the window before turning abruptly and kicking the coffee table, cracking the surface severely and knocking off one of its legs. After that, however, it appeared that he was finished, and something different came over him. He slouched, retook his seat on the sofa, and hung his head.

"You are abandoning me," he mumbled.

"No," Elise said softly. "It's not like that. It's a conflict of interest, you being here. I have to recuse myself."

"But you _promised _me," Loki reminded her. Pain, either real or faked, seemed to motivate his words. "If I win, you win. Those were your words. Do you not remember?"

Elise returned to the couch. Against her own intuition, she laid a hand on his knee, hoping that her closeness, though it felt unnatural to her, might comfort him. "I remember," she said, "but you're not going to win if you don't have a lawyer who can give you the best defense you can get. I'm not that lawyer."

"Excuses," he said, shaking his head. "You will betray me like the others, like Thor, like Odin..."

"No, I'm being honest with you," Elise said, though she was about to stretch the truth. "I _want_ you to win your case. It's just not going to be _my_ case anymore."

Loki sighed. "I apologize," he said. Suddenly, he seemed to brighten, lifting his head. He placed his own hand over Elise's on his knee, closing his fingers to hold it. "I should have believed you." He squeezed her hand tightly, almost painfully. "You swore to serve me, after all."

"Yeah," Elise said, disheartened by that reminder. "I did."

He smirked, apparently no longer upset, and said, "I need something from you."

"What do you need?" Elise asked. She tried to extract her hand from his, but Loki showed no intention of letting go.

"How much do you know about Tony Stark?"

"Not a lot," Elise replied. "I just know what everyone else knows, what's in the news."

"Well, that won't do," Loki said, his grip still firm around Elise's fingers. "You must find out more. Can you?"

Elise paused to think. "I mean, what do you need to know? Any real estate stuff is public record, so that's easy. I think my firm had an investigator on him at one point for a client who wanted to sue, but that was a while back, and there wasn't really a case."

"Anything you can find," Loki said, "bring it to me."

"Well, it's not that easy," Elise admitted. "I could probably get access to all that if it relates to your case, but... well, that's gonna be a problem."

Loki frowned. "I fail to see the problem."

"I'm not going to be on your case after tomorrow, remember?"

"Still," Loki said, "I fail to see the problem."

Elise's forehead crinkled with doubt and concern. "How?"

"No one knows of my presence but you," he explained, "and no one will know unless you tell them, which, of course, you will not."

"Are you asking me to lie?"

"Of course not," Loki chuckled. "I am merely asking you to continue on as you have been."

"But I can't," Elise protested. "I have to recuse myself, and I have to do it tomorrow, before this gets out of hand."

"You do not _have_ to do anything that I haven't asked of you," Loki responded. "Furthermore, what reason have you to think this will 'get out of hand?'"

"Oh, no, none at all," Elise defended. "I'm just being cautious."

"Would it not be more cautious to lead others to believe that there has been no change in you?"

"Maybe." Elise felt guilty; she had probably already said too much. "Can I think about this?"

"There is nothing to think about," Loki replied coolly. "I have already told you what you will do." Finally, he set her hand free. "I am right to have faith in you, am I not?"


	8. Drunk and Disorderly

Elise walked the halls of Parmeri & Associates, all the way down to a corner she hadn't been to in quite some time – the investigators' offices. To her, those offices looked cluttered. The file cabinets that lined the walls seemed to close in and overwhelm the room, the desks were covered in knick-knacks, and to make matters worse, it must have been the only part of the firm that still did most of its work on paper. She hated going there.

An investigator Elise recognized as Jeffery, clad in khakis and a tucked-in, lime green polo, speed-walked toward her. "Elise," he said, surprised, "what're you doing here? We ain't got anything for the Laufeyson case yet."

"About that," Elise replied. "I need you to open up something old. Remember when Parmeri was talking about taking that case against Stark Industries?"

Jeff laughed. "Yeah," he said, starting to head toward a cabinet at the back of the office, "I remember that. What a clusterfuck."

Elise followed. "What do you mean? I thought the guy just dropped it once Parmeri told him he didn't have a case."

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't really like that." Jeff knelt in front of a a drawer labeled "Archive: X-Z" and started thumbing through the folders it contained. "We found a lot. I ain't a lawyer, but I know you guys have done harder stuff before. You could've won it, easy." Having located the correct file, he stood and handed it to Elise. "But I guess it don't matter now. What's this for, anyway?"

"Like I said, it's for the Laufeyson case," Elise lied. "Just want to have something ready for cross-examination."

Jeff scratched his chin. "But you don't even know if it's going to a jury yet, do ya? You don't even know who's gonna testify."

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Elise's heart beat faster; he could tell she was lying, couldn't he?

"I'm just givin' you a hard time," Jeff smiled. "I know you like havin' your ducks in a row. But hey, when you gonna bring those back?"

"Depends," Elise said. "Do you mind if I make some copies?"

"Go for it. Just bring 'em back when you're done." Jeff started back toward his desk. "Good to see ya, Elise."

"You too," Elise replied as she left, shutting the door to the offices behind her. She clutched the file tightly, walking a brisk walk toward the photocopier, which was situated near the newest associates' desks. She copied one of everything, looking over her shoulder periodically to make sure she wasn't caught in the act, although, she knew, her excuse was watertight. Forty pages later, she turned to retreat to her desk, and she nearly knocked over the associate who had tried to chat her up in the elevator the day before.

"Sorry," Elise said, trying to get by her with her copies and originals, but the associate didn't budge.

"Cute necklace," the associate remarked brightly.

"Thanks."

"Where'd you get it?"

Elise tensed. "Around." She just wanted to get back to work, but this other woman seemed to have something more to say. Worst of all, Elise couldn't even remember her name.

"Right," the associate laughed. "Anyway, Annie and I are going out for lunch today. Wanna come?"

"Sure, sounds fine," Elise replied hastily.

"Cool. See you at one." Finally, the associate walked off.

Elise made it back to her desk without incident, but even there, the interruptions didn't cease. She hid the copies she had just made in her desk drawer and logged into her desktop computer, but the monitor had barely even lit up when she heard Parmeri calling the shortened version of her name.

"'Lise!" he shouted as he walked to her as quickly as his short legs would carry him, a cell phone balanced between his shoulder and ear. "'Lise, we got a problem."

"What's up?" Elise asked, turning in her desk chair to face him.

"Laufeyson's got arraignment on Thursday, but nobody's heard from him. No word from Thor, either, and he's the one who's supposed to get him here. You got any idea what's going on?"

Elise knew exactly what was going on, and it ate at her. "He'll be there," she said, trying to remain calm. "Don't worry."

"You heard from him?" Parmeri asked hopefully.

"Not since I got back," Elise answered, "but I don't think he'd skip it."

Parmeri looked at his cell phone, sighed, and pocketed it. "I've been on hold for hours waiting for that Fury guy to pick up. I'm done, I've got things to do. They can't keep me on hold all day. They wanna obstruct justice, we'll sue the pants off 'em, right?"

"Yeah," Elise replied unenthusiastically, "right."

"So you think he'll be there?" Parmeri asked, clearly not convinced. "He knows he's supposed to be there? He's got a way to get there?"

"Definitely," Elise assured him, though she had no way of knowing what Loki planned to do.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. In fact, don't even worry about calling Fury back. I'll take care of it." The lies just kept pouring out. "It'll be fine."'

"Knew I could count on you. I'll e-mail you the number," Parmeri said as he started to walk away. "Thanks, 'Lise. Good to have you back."

Even with her boss long gone, Elise couldn't focus on any sort of work, especially not Loki's case. She scrolled through precedent cases on her computer, but she didn't absorb the words on the screen. She wasn't going to call S.H.I.E.L.D. to try to get a hold of Nick Fury; she was in too deep for that. She would somehow have to get Loki to his arraignment herself. Briefly, she wondered what he planned to do with Tony Stark's information, but she quickly put that thought out of her head. Whatever it was, Loki wasn't going to tell her, anyway.

Soon, lunch time came. Elise would likely have forgotten about the plans she had made with the associate whose name she still, embarrassingly, could not recall had that associate not stopped at her desk to retrieve her.

"Ready to go?"

Elise nodded. "Yup."

"Great," the associate said as she buttoned her coat. "Let's go get Annie."

"Where are we going?" Elise asked as she followed the mystery associate to Annie's desk.

"The bar," she replied. "Martini lunch!"

"Nice," Elise said. "I could use a drink."

Annie had already pushed in her chair and put on her jacket by the time the others reached her desk. "Hey Cara, hey Elise. Ready?"

Cara. _That_ was her name. Elise repeated it in her head until she was sure she wouldn't forget it.

The trio walked to the bar, two blocks away, chatting about work as they did. It was nice, Elise thought, to finally socialize with someone other than Loki. In a way, though, she wasn't ready for it. Cara and Annie were lawyers. They had an agenda, and though it was probably nothing malicious, Elise knew better than to let them pry too much into her personal or professional life, especially with the secret she was keeping.

When they arrived, they were quickly seated, and Cara ordered three extra-dry martinis. Elise was more of a beer person, and she suspected that Cara was, too. After all, had Cara been the connoisseur of hard liquor she was pretending to be, she would have known that she had just ordered three glasses of gin.

"I like your necklace, Elise," Annie said with a smile.

"I know, right?" Cara chirped before Elise could say anything. "I was saying that earlier. She won't tell me where it's from, though."

"Cara, stop it," Annie replied playfully, "it's probably from her boyfriend."

Elise faked a laugh. "It's not from my boyfriend," she said.

"So guys are just handing you jewelry left and right?" said Annie.

"Yup," Elise half-joked. "I'm running out of places to keep it all."

Their drinks arrived, and they each took a sip. Elise cringed, then took another swig despite the martini's strength.

"Laufeyson giving you trouble?" Cara asked.

Elise nearly spat her drink on the tablecloth. "What?" she said.

Cara covered her mouth as she laughed. "The Laufeyson case, Elise. Guess I hit a sore spot. I'm just asking, 'cause Parmeri looked like he was freaking out earlier."

Elise sighed. "Yeah," she said, "it's a tough one, that's for sure."

"But do you really think insanity's the best way to go?" Cara said. "You know that even if he's not guilty, with that defense, they'll just order him into a psych facility forever, right?"

"You guys are telling your client to plead insanity?" Annie said, her eyes wide. "That's bold."

"I know," Cara responded. "But Elise wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't going to work."

"No, 'course not." Annie shook her head in insincere agreement.

In an attempt to change the subject, Elise asked, "Annie, what are you working on right now? Anything good?"

"Nothing as good as Laufeyson," Annie replied. "We're about to go to court with the big pharmaceutical case."

"Which one?" Cara asked.

"The one with the anti-depressants," Annie said. "Birth defects."

Cara nodded. "Right."

"But like I said," Annie continued, pausing to gingerly sip her drink, "nothing really interesting. It's not every day your firm signs up to defend a terrorist, though."

"Hey, watch it," Elise said, somehow affronted. "That's my client."

"Well, jeez, sorry," said Annie. "What else are you gonna call him if not that?"

Elise shrugged. "I don't know," she replied, "but he's not a terrorist. And should we really be talking about this in public?"

"Elise, relax," Cara urged. "He's all over the news, it's not like it's actually confidential. Why are you suddenly all about him being innocent, anyway?"

"I'm not," Elise argued, in part to convince herself. "Just... can we talk about something else, please? Aren't there any rumors going around?"

Cara and Annie looked to each other, then into their martini glasses.

"Actually," Annie said, "that's why we wanted to take you out to lunch."

"Yeah," Cara added, "we're kind of worried."

They were prying. Elise took another swig of gin to calm her nerves. "What's wrong?" she asked as confidently as she could.

"You wanna say it?" Annie asked Cara.

"No," Cara replied, "you say it, that's why you're here."

"Okay," Annie said as she turned to Elise. "So, Cara says you were acting weird yesterday. We just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Also," Cara said, "you're acting kind of weird today, too. Plus, right after you show up with a sprained wrist, new jewelry."

"What are you saying?" Elise asked cautiously.

Annie sighed melodramatically, leaned toward Elise, and took her hand in hers. "Elise," she said, her voice hushed, "are you in... an abusive relationship?"

"No," Elise laughed, "of course not, no."

Annie looked relieved, but Cara seemed skeptical. "How'd you sprain your wrist, then?" she asked, folding her arms.

"I fell down some stairs," Elise lied. "Seriously, it was an accident."

"Okay," Cara said, clearly unconvinced. "But tell us if you need anything, alright?"

"Sure," Elise said, although there were about one hundred people she would have gone to with a problem like that before she talked to two co-workers she barely knew about it. "Thanks."

"Now that that's out of the way," said Cara, a sly smile creeping across her face, "tell us who gave you your necklace!"

"_Cara_," Annie whined, "leave her alone."

"No, it's fun," Cara laughed. "Who's the guy?"

"Nobody," Elise deflected. "Why don't you tell me about your boyfriend, Cara?"

"I'm happily single," Cara replied.

"I'm engaged," Annie offered. "Have been for about a year."

"Congrats," said Elise.

"Come on," Cara pushed. "You've got a boyfriend. What does he do?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." Elise finished her drink, and when she emerged from the glass, she felt dizzy.

Cara's smile widened. "It's someone from work, isn't it?" she whispered.

"God, no," Elise said.

"Girlfriend?" Annie asked.

"Nope," Elise answered.

Annie threw up her hands. "I'm out of guesses."

"Prove it, then." Cara turned in her chair, looking around the room. "See that guy at the bar?" she said, tilting her head in his direction. "If there's no boyfriend, go hit on him."

"No way," Elise laughed. "That's outrageous. Nobody's drunk enough for that."

"I'll pay for your drink if you do," Cara urged. "Come on!"

The offer was tempting, especially as Elise wasn't sure whether the bar accepted checks. She leaned to look at her target; from afar, he wasn't bad. His hair was short, and he wore a suit, so he probably had a job, too. After a few seconds of thought, Elise acquiesced, her judgment sufficiently clouded by the gin. "Fine," she said as she stood, "deal."

Looking over her shoulder as she walked to the bar, Elise saw Cara and Annie both staring at her, using their hands to hide their mouths as they gossiped, and immediately, she felt like a fool. Still, she took the bar stool right next to the strange man to prove that she could, if nothing else.

"Hey," Elise said. "What's your name?"

"Hi there," the man responded, turning to reveal a handsome, lightly freckled face. "I'm Joe. Who are you?"

"I'm Elise," she said. "Sorry to bug you, my friends pushed me to come over and talk to you."

"You're not bugging me at all," Joe smiled, wrinkles forming at the corners of his mouth. "You want a drink?"

"I shouldn't," Elise said, "I have to get back to work after this."

"Me too," Joe replied. "You work around here?"

"Yeah, I'm a lawyer. You?"

"I'm in finance." Joe brought his bottled beer to his lips. "You're at Parmeri & Associates, right?"

"Yeah," Elise said, surprised. "How'd you guess?"

"You're famous," he laughed. "Haven't you been watching the news?"

"Haven't really had time."

Joe laughed again. "Who does?"

There was a long pause. Elise looked up to avoid staring at him.

"You're cuter in person, you know," he said.

Elise smiled her first honest smile in days. "Thanks," she said, "you're not too bad, either."

"How'd you hurt your arm?"

"Huh?"

"Your arm," Joe repeated. "What happened?"

"Oh, ski accident," Elise said. "I had a ski accident." She hadn't been skiing since she moved to New York.

"You ski? That's cool," he replied. "I'm a snowboarder, though."

"I guess that makes us rivals," Elise flirted.

"I guess it does." Joe took one last swig of his beer, then set the empty bottle down on the bar. "Well, listen, I've got to go. Can I give you my card?"

It had gone surprisingly well, Elise thought. "Yeah, definitely," she said. "I wish I could give you mine, but I don't have them on me."

"Well then," Joe said as he pressed the business card into her hand, "I guess I'll have to wait for you to call me." He stood and started toward the door. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Elise responded, still stunned at the success of Cara's plan. She returned to the table.

"Oh my God," Cara squealed, "did I see him give you his number?"

"You did," Elise confirmed, still enjoying the boost in her confidence. "You owe me one martini, miss."

"You make that look easy," Annie said. "Even if I was still single, I wouldn't have done it."

"I guess I'm a natural," Elise responded as she watched Cara pay the bill. "Believe me now, Cara?"

It wasn't until she returned to her desk, still a little wobbly, that Elise remembered that she would not be calling Joe, nor would she be calling anyone else. Besides the fact that she no longer had a phone, she couldn't get away from home for long enough to go on a date. It was, perhaps, one of the most saddening effects of Loki's occupation of her apartment; he was all the company she had. She buried herself in work and avoided the thought for a while.

Near the end of the day, Elise realized that she had never returned what she had borrowed from Jeff that morning. She shut down her computer, cleaned up her desk a bit, then removed the copies and originals from her desk drawer and headed to the investigators' offices on her way out of the building.

"Jeff still here?" she asked a tired-looking woman at the desk nearest the door.

"He sits over there," the woman replied, gesturing slightly with her head but never moving her eyes from her computer screen.

Quickly, Elise located him and handed him the file. "Sorry it took so long. I got distracted."

"No problem," Jeff replied brightly. "It's not like anyone needed it, anyway."

"Have a good night," Elise said as she fled to the elevator with the copies.

Arriving home to an empty apartment again, Elise, unhappy and apprehensive, dropped the Stark-related papers on the couch for lack of a table, then darted to the kitchen for a beer. She drank quickly, half-consciously hoping to knock herself out. When she finished the first, she took a second can from the refrigerator and went to her room to sit on her bed. Forgetting her concerns about Loki's plans, she was overwhelmed by her isolation.

"Are you lonely?" a familiar voice inquired, and Loki appeared to her in a shroud of light, the same way he had the day before.

Elise nodded, closing her eyes until the room was dim again. She lifted the can of beer, rolled her head back, and took a drink. Then she looked at Loki's face, expecting the sight of him to inspire anger in her. Instead, his mournful expression only caused Elise to feel selfish, and for that, disappointed in herself. She teared up. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm having a hard time."

"No, it is I who should apologize," Loki replied convincingly as he closed the space between himself and Elise. He sat down beside her. "I have made your home your cage. Is that it?"

Elise thought about her response for only a second before nodding again, her chin quivering as she started to cry. She leaned to place the mostly-empty beer can on her nightstand, then cradled her spinning head in her hands to hide her wet face. Loki's armor clattered as he moved, and Elise felt his arm snake around her shoulders as he pulled her closer, trapping her in an embrace.

"You may think it unfair," he growled dully, "but soon enough this will be over, and all of this will be justified."

"But what if it's not?" Elise wept into him. His touch was comforting; it didn't matter at that moment who he was. "What if you can't do it? Even if you can, what then?"

His face pressed into her hair, Loki breathed a tense sigh. "Those things are not yours to worry about."

"You keep saying that," Elise complained, pulling away and lifting her head. "You keep saying it, but you won't tell me what it means!"

Loki seized her face in his hands, turning her head so that she would look at him. "You poor creature," he said, the sympathy in his voice heavy enough to feel real. "Can you not see? The weight of freedom crushes you. Do you not understand that?"

"_Yes_," Elise sobbed, resting her hands on his thighs. "I get it! But what do I _do_?"

"How many times must I tell you?" Loki urged. "_I _will take this burden from you. _I_ will be all that you need. Simply-"

In what she thought at first was a drunken impulse, Elise lurched forward and kissed him squarely on his lips, holding herself there for a crystallized second. She stopped herself, sure that her embarrassment and terror were made obvious by the way she sat and stared, deathly still. However, before she could apologize for the incident, Loki's fingers crept along her scalp, sinking into her hair, and he pulled her back to him for another. His kiss was forceful, but neither desperate nor hungry, and as he slowly broke away, he gently guided Elise's head backward, exposing her neck.

"What were you thinking?" he breathed against her ear.

"I wasn't," she rasped.

"Good girl."

Loki's mouth found Elise's throat, sending a shiver through her skin and drawing a helpless moan from her chest. She let him topple her, let him remove the clothes and armor from both of their bodies, and she didn't protest as he, over the course of an hour, made her lips part, her back arch, and her eyelids flutter closed even as he demanded she open them. And when, at the very end of their session, she did open her eyes, she could just barely see the malevolence still in his.


	9. Conspiracy

Elise's alarm clock hadn't yet sounded when she woke, anxious and dehydrated, to find that Loki was already gone. His absence came as a relief. It wasn't until her choices were illuminated in the harsh light of day that Elise fully realized just how grievously poor her judgment had been. She was conflicted and disoriented, and she needed the morning after pill. She began brainstorming a way to get it as she walked, still naked, to the living room.

The papers regarding Tony Stark had vanished from the couch, but Elise had expected that. Sitting down, she opened her laptop to send an e-mail. She addressed it to Skip Parmeri and explained that she was feeling under the weather, that she would be working from home, and that everything relating to Loki's arraignment scheduled for the following day had been handled. A faint flicker of guilt threatened to change her mind – the e-mail's body was comprised mostly of lies and half-truths – but she squashed it quickly. She had planned to respond to the e-mails she had been neglecting while she waited for Parmeri's reply and Loki's permission to walk to the pharmacy, but it seemed too daunting a task for the first hour of the day. Instead, she closed her laptop and went to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal.

As she ate breakfast alone, leaning against the counter, disjointed, lewd scenes replayed themselves in Elise's mind. She resisted their intrusion upon her thoughts to the extent that she could, but to little avail. They followed her into the shower, where she stood staring into the tiles on the wall, remembering Loki's hands, his teeth, his skin, and the way it all felt until she found that her hand had made its way between her thighs. Before long, however, she was interrupted.

"You are _insatiable_," Loki laughed from the other side of the shower curtain.

Mortified, Elise peeked through the space between the curtain and the wall to make sure it was him. She took in a deep breath to slow her racing heart.

"Get out." Loki's demeanor became more severe. "There is too much to be done," he scolded, "for you to be standing here, playing with yourself."

Had Elise not feared him, her shame would have kept her from leaving the shower, but instead, she shut off the water and stepped out. Wrapping herself in a towel, she proceeded to the living room, her hair dripping as she walked.

"Show me a map," Loki demanded. He paced around the room as he often did, his eyes seeming to search the ceiling for something that wasn't there.

Elise went to retrieve her computer again and brought it to the couch. "What do you want a map of?"

"A map of your _realm_, of course," Loki answered impatiently as he seated himself beside her. "What other map could I possibly have need for?"

The laptop powered on slowly, and Elise seized the opportunity to ask her question: "Can we talk about yesterday?"

Loki seemed not to have expected it. "There is nothing to discuss," he scoffed.

"Well," Elise replied as she opened her web browser, "I'd like to discuss some things."

"Not now." Loki focused intently on the monitor as Elise navigated to Google Maps. "Is this it? Show me where we are."

"Here," she answered as she pointed, as accurately as she could, to New York's location in North America. "It might help if we zoom in."

"Do that," Loki said as he searched his person for the copies of Tony Stark's file, removed the papers, and thumbed through the pages. "Chart this location," he instructed as he pointed to an address that had been circled.

Elise leaned to read it, and it was quickly recognizable. "That's Stark Tower," she said.

"Did I ask you what it was?"

"No."

"Then do as I asked."

"But it's so easy to get to from here," Elise said, doing her best to be helpful. "You just go down to-"

"Elise," Loki interrupted, his jaw clenched, "you are treading on dangerous ground."

"Sorry." She typed the address into the search bar at the top of the page and added a place marker to the map.

Loki flipped the page and pointed out another circled address. "Now this."

Elise typed the address once again. It was a children's hospital in Queens to which Tony Stark had made a major donation the year before.

They kept doing that for several minutes until they had constructed a map of several of the properties that Stark either owned or invested in, as well as some that had been the targets of his philanthropy. It looked, Elise thought, like something a stalker might make.

Loki examined the interactive map and accompanying satellite photos. "This is good," he growled, "this is very good." He flipped to the last page in the packet of papers. Several e-mail addresses were scrawled on the back. "Send it to them."

Elise opened her personal e-mail account and sent a link to the map to each address.

"When will this message arrive?" Loki asked.

"It's an e-mail," Elise replied. "It's there already."

He smiled. "Splendid."

"Are we done then?"

"For now, yes," Loki said, standing, "though there will be another task for you tonight."

"Oh. Alright." Elise hoped that the task would be just as simple as the one she had just completed, but something in his voice implied that it would riskier. She left the couch, holding her towel up with one hand, and put away her computer.

After an extended silence, Loki spoke again. "Should you not be working?"

"I'm not going today," Elise said.

"And why not?"

"I have to take care of some things."

"What 'things?'"

Elise hesitated before she said, "I have to go to the pharmacy."

Loki looked her up and down. "What for?"

The confidence with which Elise had begun speaking was fading fast. "Plan B," she replied, looking to the floor.

"What plan is this?" Loki snapped. "You should be planning nothing, you-"

"Oh, no," Elise interrupted. "I mean emergency contraception. That's just what it's called."

Loki seemed unconvinced. "Explain."

Elise wasn't prepared to give a lesson on the functions and processes of the morning after pill. She herself didn't even entirely understand _how_ it worked, only that it did. "It just, um," she stammered, "you take it when..." She sighed. "It's birth control. It's emergency birth control. It stops you from getting pregnant."

"And what is it, a poison?"

"No," Elise said, becoming frustrated, "it's a pill, it's hormones. Can I just go?"

To her embarrassment, Loki laughed at her. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because," he said, "you should have made this decision before you invited me into your bed."

"I didn't invite you _anywhere_!" Elise shouted, offended.

"Calm yourself," Loki urged.

"No," Elise yelled, "I can't be calm when you're trying-"

"I said, _calm yourself_!" he bellowed, his voice rattling Elise's ears.

She stood where she was, silent, and she watched a cruel grin cross Loki's lips as he approached her, slowly, then circled her, stopping at her back. His hands slithered through the spaces between her arms and her waist, and he tightened his grip around her, pressing her body against his. Elise closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, overcome with something she didn't understand, a powerful amalgamation of desperation, fear, and want.

"What are you after?" Loki said, his voice quiet, but thick and clear. "Tell me."

"I don't know," Elise sighed.

"I do." He brought his mouth from her ear to her neck, and his teeth gently raked her skin as he brought his lips together. "I can sense it."

Dazed and anxious, Elise failed to reply.

"Perhaps you think that I cannot give it to you." Loki's fingers threatened to initiate round two, wandering down the front of her. "I can."

"What are you talking about?"

Abruptly, he let go of her and walked to the opposite side of the room. "When you know it," Loki said, "you will cry for me. You will crawl to me, and you will beg, and then, you will have it." Without adding another word to his cryptic message, he vanished.

Her initial predicament continued to gnaw at her, but what Elise had just heard had left her thoughts in such disarray that she couldn't stay focused on a solution. She finally got dressed, brushed her teeth, and fixed her hair, all the while racking her brain for answers to the new questions she had. It wasn't difficult to understand what Loki had been trying to communicate. Instead, for Elise, the challenge lay in untangling the bundle of implications with which his words were laden. The path he had started her mind on was fraught with pitfalls, and there was no clear means of avoiding them all.

As she went about her day, Elise found herself wanting him to return, if nothing else, to give her answers. If she could just see him, she thought, maybe touch him, she could figure it out. She lingered on that thought – his touch. Soon, she lost herself lusting, so involved in her own fantasy that when she emerged, all the mental progress she had made was gone.

Elise laid down on the sofa, pressed the heels of her palms against her forehead, and cleared her mind. She wished she had a friend to confide in, or better, someone who would tell her what to do.

But she already had that, didn't she?

Elise beat her balled fist against the cushion of the couch. She was angry with herself for even thinking it, but who else did she have but Loki? Even as she started crying at the realization, the shoulder she wanted to rest her head on was his. He _could_ be empathetic. He could show her compassion. He asked so little of her, and he promised so much.

For hours, Elise drifted around her apartment, her usual decision-making process replaced with something more intuitive, less accessible, and distressingly contrary to the rules and limitations she had been setting for herself for years. She didn't turn the lights on when the sun went down; she let her apartment grow dark and retreated to her bedroom. Where was he? Why had he not come back?

"_Loki_!" she shouted when it was too much to bear. "Loki, come _home_!"

Sure enough, he appeared in the doorway, illuminating the small space. "You seem distressed," he said, his tone flat and cold. "Is something the matter?"

When she saw him, Elise forgot her words. She went to where he stood and embraced him.

"You love me," Loki stated, letting his hand come to rest at her lower back.

"I might," Elise replied softly. "I think I do."

He withdrew his touch. "Are you ready for your task?"

Disheartened by his lack of enthusiasm, Elise backed away. "I guess," she said.

"Come."

Elise followed Loki to the kitchen. He reached to open one of the high cabinets that Elise never used due to her stature, and he brought down what seemed to be a birthday present.

"Listen carefully," he instructed as he handed the gift-wrapped box to her. "Do you remember the hospital? The one on the map?"

"The one in Queens?" Elise said. "Yeah."

"Go there," Loki continued, "and leave this with instructions that it be given to a doctor named Wen."

"Okay." Elise started toward her room to retrieve the quarters she saved for laundry and for the subway.

"Where are you going?" Loki asked.

"I'll have to take the train," she replied. "I need-"

"No," he said, "someone will come for you. Wait outside."

Elise didn't question it. She put on her coat and shoes, then went to the door.

"And Elise," Loki said as she left, "this is your test."

Not wanting to fail, Elise rushed down the stairs and stepped outside. She stood at the curb for only a moment before a car stopped. Against her better judgment, she climbed into the back seat.

The driver didn't speak to Elise, and she made no effort to address him. She just stared at the back of his head and waited for the thirty-minute trip to end. She worried only momentarily about the contents of the box; surely, she thought, Loki wouldn't put her in any danger. It was a test, wasn't it? What good was a test if its subject didn't live through the results?

She was dropped off at the emergency room entrance, but the driver called her back to the car before she made it to the entrance.

"Hey," he said, his accent thick. "I pick you up. Five minute."

"Thanks," Elise responded, and she went, the gift in her hands, through the hospital's entrance.

"Can I help you?" a receptionist asked as Elise approached.

"Yes." Her legs shook as soon as she stopped walking. She placed the box on the desk. "I'm dropping this off for doctor Wen. Can you make sure he gets it?"

"Oh, yeah," the receptionist said, "he mentioned he was expecting something. I'll make sure he knows its here."

Elise thanked her, but lingered at the desk.

"Is there something else you need?" the receptionist asked, seemingly concerned.

"Do you guys give out emergency contraception?" said Elise. "I mean, not give it out, but-"

"We do." The receptionist placed a clipboard on the desk in front of Elise. "But you'd need to be checked-in first."

"On second thought, never mind. I think my ride's here."

"Alright." The receptionist took the clipboard back. "Drive safe."

Elise walked quickly back to the car. Once she was in, she slumped in her seat. Again, it seemed, it would be a quiet ride. Whatever she had just done, she told herself, she couldn't undo. She hoped that her completion of the delivery would put Loki in a good mood, and that her newly-realized affection was not misplaced. For the last time that day, she wrangled with the meaning behind what he said before he left.

The car sped away almost as soon as Elise stepped out, and she returned, empty-handed, to her apartment. She opened the door and saw Loki waiting, still and pensive, on the couch.

"You did well," he said without turning to look at her.

"I can't know what it was, can I?" Elise asked as she slipped out of her coat.

"No."

Tentatively, Elise walked toward the couch to sit beside him. She waited for him to speak to her, but he didn't.

"I'm going to bed," Elise said. "Are you coming?"

"No," was Loki's curt response.

Tired, confused, and defeated, Elise went to her room to sleep alone.


	10. Cause in Fact

When Elise emerged from her bedroom on Thursday, she saw that Loki was in nearly the same position she had left him in the night before. Still, it appeared that he was preoccupied; perhaps he hadn't slept. He didn't acknowledge Elise until she tried to hand him a bowl of cereal, which he accepted with a scowl.

No matter how desperate she was for Loki's attention, Elise didn't want to be the first to speak. She would be dignified, she told herself; she would let him play the ball she had pitched into his court. Unfortunately, that mantra, no matter how true it needed to be, did little to prevent her from thinking about where she might have gone wrong the day before. She pushed herself to recall every single thing she had said and done, anything that could possibly have offended him. Then, unable to find a likely cause for his coldness, she tried to guess whether there had been something she hadn't done.

As Elise's mind busied itself listing the ways she might have wronged Loki, something terrible dawned on her.

"_Oh, shit_!" she shrieked. "The _arraignment_!"

"What is it?" Loki mumbled, unmoving.

"Loki, I really screwed up," Elise said, her words forming more quickly than her thoughts. "I should have talked to you about this _days_ ago. We haven't even figured out how you're gonna plead. I don't even know what the charges are, or how you're gonna get there without being seen, or-"

"Be _quiet_," Loki yelled to silence her. "What are you going on about?"

"Your arraignment is _today_," said Elise, still frantic. "It's in two hours, and we haven't-"

"That?" Loki chuckled. "You're worried about _that_?"

"Of course I am!" She wasn't just worried; she was panicking.

Loki smiled as he shook his head. "We won't be going there."

His cavalier attitude was even more disturbing to Elise than the fact that they were going to miss an appearance in court. "Of _course_ we're going," she insisted, "we have to!"

"Turn that on," Loki commanded, pointing to the television, "it has been showing me nothing for hours."

Quickly, Elise powered the television on; it was still tuned to a news network, which appeared to have dedicated all of its attention to one story.

"For those just tuning in," the anchor spoke solemnly, "police are investigating what is suspected to have been a terrorist attack outside of a federal courthouse..."

"Oh my God," Elise breathed, "we could have been-"

"Hush, listen," Loki said.

"As demonstrators and media gathered early this morning to await the arrival of Loki Laufeyson and his lawyers," the anchor continued, "a bomb detonated at the building's entrance, killing two and wounding several others. The police have not yet named any suspects. Stay with us, we'll be here to bring you the latest developments."

"But how did you know?" Elise asked, shaken.

Loki's gaze touched everything in the room but her. "Intuition," he replied stoically.

"I have to call Parmeri," Elise fretted. "I need a phone, I-"

"That is not necessary," Loki interrupted. "Turn that off. It will only upset you."

Though she didn't want to, Elise shut off the television. She went to the couch and sat, inches from Loki, as she worried about her co-workers. She tried to convince herself that if she, always the first to arrive, hadn't been there, they hadn't been, either. But why had it happened at all? Was someone trying to kill Loki? She couldn't keep her composure; she cried.

"Stop that," Loki said.

"I can't," Elise wept. "I'm scared."

"There is nothing to be afraid of." Loki placed his uneaten bowl of cereal on the floor beside the couch before he stood and walked toward the window.

Elise leapt from her seat. "I'm afraid for _you_," she said. "Someone's got it out for you, and they don't even know who it is yet."

He stood silently for a moment, staring at the curtains, before turning to face Elise. "Do you love me?" His tone was accusatory and unkind.

"I think so," Elise responded gently.

"Then you show it in odd ways," Loki snarled.

"What?"

"Spare me." He began his approach. "You battle with me, you deliberately disobey me, and now, today, you claim that you fear for my life?"

Elise stared at him, baffled. "But I do," she protested tearfully. "And I..." She couldn't say what she knew he wanted to hear.

"You thought you would complete an errand of your own, did you?" The phrase grew louder with each word until he was shouting. "_Did you_?" He tangled a fist in Elise's hair, yanking it.

"You don't understand," she cried. "You can't understand."

"You're spoiled," he seethed, twisting his hand and Elise's neck with it. "What would become of you if I did not favor you?" Without warning, he let go of her and began toward the bedroom. "Do not disturb me until you are prepared to beg for forgiveness." He slammed the door, isolating himself.

Elise dropped to her knees. She knelt there, sobbing, as she berated herself for violating Loki's trust. She was his only friend, the only person he could rely on, and she loved him. How could she have done something so awful? What if they _had_ gone to court, and what if she had lost him? She had been selfish, and she wouldn't forgive herself until he forgave her, too.

She ran to the bedroom. "I'm sorry!" Elise wailed. "Loki, I'm sorry!" She went quickly to where he stood and tried to kiss him, but he turned his head away, unresponsive.

Her distress overwhelming her, Elise fell to the floor to cry at his feet. "I'm so sorry," she gushed. "I was stupid. How could I have been so _stupid_?" She paused to catch a few sharp, short breaths. "I love you, I do. I'll never lie again, I swear."

"Good," Loki said, his voice quiet but steady. "Get up, then. Stop weeping."

Slowly, Elise rose, inhaling deeply as she did. "I'm sorry," she sighed, just to drive the point home.

"I know," Loki replied. "Undress. Get into bed."

Elise sat at the edge of the mattress and tried her best to stop her tears as she unbuttoned her blouse. When she was naked, she slid between the covers and lay on her side, waiting. She watched adoringly as Loki slowly and methodically removed every piece of armor from his body, shedding every iron and leather thing that adorned him until his slim, sturdy frame was all there was left to gaze at. He didn't speak or smile until he sank into the bed with Elise.

"On your back," he said.

Obediently, Elise rolled over. Loki draped his body over hers, resting on his forearms, and he spread broad, lush kisses along her breasts, her throat, and her jaw.

"This is a cruel world," he hissed when he reached her ear. "Many forces are at work, many forces that would keep you from me."

"They can't," Elise whispered hoarsely.

"Your love for me cannot waver." He sighed tensely against her neck. "Elise, you must deny me nothing."

"I won't," she promised weakly.

And she didn't, at least not that day. Elise didn't complain, not as the pressure his hands applied threatened to snap her wrists, not as he went too deep, and not as he marked her shoulder with the indentations of his teeth. She gave willingly as he took what he wanted.

"Tell me," he said, "who is your king?"

"You are," she panted. "You."

He seemed to lose his breath. "Say my name."

When she did, it was over, but Loki didn't leave. He held her head firmly in his hands, staring intently, his brow furrowed as he searched for something.

"What is it?" Elise asked.

He bared his teeth in a wicked grin, and he seemed to shake with excitement. "I will tell you a secret," he said. "Can you keep it?"

Something wasn't right, but despite the knot in her stomach, Elise nodded.

"No," Loki laughed, shaking his head. "No, it would devastate you. I cannot."

Elise knew that he was going to reveal something awful, but her curiosity was piqued. She wriggled from beneath him to sit up in bed. "What are you saying?"

A low chuckle escaped the pit of his throat. "A war is coming," he said. "I have set the fires, but the Midgardians will fan the flames."

"What are you talking about?"

"The explosives," he said. "Your realm will soon discover who Wen was. He was a fanatic, an immigrant, and _your_ people, Americans... well, you cannot abide an act of war done by a Chinese man, can you?"

"No," Elise cried, her eyes widening at the realization that she had been a accomplice, a mule. "_No_!"

Loki pressed his hand tightly over her mouth. "Shut up," he snarled through gritted teeth. "Shut _up_."

Elise screamed into his palm, but there was no resisting the strength with which he pinned her.

He continued. "The Koreans will attack when tensions are high. The Chinese will see the threat your people pose, and they will turn their heads as their allies ready their weapons."

It was horrible. It was a nightmare. The guilt she felt was even heavier than Loki's body on hers.

"Do not fear," he went on. "You and I, we will be unharmed. I have given their weapons the power they need to enter your people's territory. I will bring them the Tesseract. And just when it seems that all is lost, when your realm has been destroyed..." The smile returned to his lips. "I will stand atop the ashes of your civilization as king, and you will be my queen."

Finally, his hand left Elise's mouth, though he still pinned her between his thighs. As much as she had wanted to loudly and wildly protest before, Elise was rendered nearly speechless, and despite her savvy and her lengthy education, her only response was a fragile whisper:

"Please don't."

Loki's face changed. He looked disgusted, glaring at Elise as though the two words she had just spoken were the two worst in the language. Then, something more familiar seemed to take hold; anger. Elise watched helplessly as he raised his hand.

"Don't," she wept. "I love you. Don't."

But he did. He struck her head with such force that her brain skipped what was apparently a massive piece of time. When Elise next opened her eyes, Loki was clothed - helmet and all - and standing at her bedside.

"Good," he said, "you're awake. I regret leaving you this way, I truly do, but there is something I must attend to." The flash that marked his departure sent a screaming pain through Elise's forehead.

When Elise sat up, the world seemed to shift and shake. There was a ringing in her ears and her vision was blurred, clouded with blotches of shadow and light. She strained to remember just what had happened to her, but the more she did, the more unbearable the pain in her head became. She stood, and her skull weighed heavy on her neck. Finding it too difficult to stay on her feet, she plopped down on the couch to rest. Closing her eyes only made matters worse; she became motion sick despite her every effort to sit still. She tried to talk just to be sure she still could: "Loki, help," she uttered, and of course, he didn't come.

Tired and thirsty but unable to get up for a glass of water, Elise slumped in her seat, then let herself slip onto her side. She was confused; her mind was omitting memories. Even greater than her desire to think clearly was her desire to sleep, and with her head on the couch's arm, she did.

When she woke, she felt even worse, the ringing in her ears replaced by a voice:

"Wake up. Hey, wake up."

What she was hearing was real, and when she realized it, she opened her eyes to see the speaker's distantly familiar face. She recognized him, but it took her quite some time to remember who he was.

"Oh, wow," Elise breathed, too sluggish to express enthusiasm or surprise, "Captain America's here."

In plain clothes, he looked trustworthy, his face full of compassion as he knelt beside her between the couch and the broken coffee table. "Stark, she's up," he called, turning his head. "You hear me? I think she's gonna be okay."

"Oh, great," a second voice answered grumpily. "Let's ask her which government building she's gonna bomb next."

"Is that Tony Stark for real, Captain America?" Elise groaned, her thoughts barely translating to speech. She felt the intractable urge to keep babbling. "I don't feel good. Can you come back tomorrow? I'm sorry."

"Call me Steve," the Captain responded before turning away again. "Stark, he really did a number on her. We should take her to the hospital."

"No, yeah, take her to a hospital." Stark's sarcasm was obvious, even to Elise. "That's a great idea. What damage could she possibly do in a hospital?"

Elise head throbbed as she tried to interpret everything being said. "Can I really call you Steve?" was all she asked.

Steve ignored her. "This is serious," he urged. "Take a look."

Tony Stark approached the sofa and crouched beside the Captain. "What's wrong with her?" he said. "Other than the obvious, I mean."

"Elise," Steve said, "this is important, okay? What did Loki do to you?"

Elise shut her eyes. "I just wanna sleep."

"No, don't do that." Steve stood. "Come on, Stark, can't you just suit up and fly her over?"

"Not with a head injury," Stark replied. "Are you trying to scramble her brain?"

"Then call an ambulance," Steve said.

Stark sighed. "Fine," he said as he readied his cell phone and went to the kitchen. "Keep an eye on her."

Steve knelt back down. "Elise, you gotta stay awake, okay? What did he do to you?"

"No," Elise argued, becoming agitated. "I need to sleep, I'm sick."

"You're not sick. You probably have a concussion."

"Where'd I get one of those?"

"That's what I'm asking you." It seemed Steve was as frustrated as she was. "Did he hit you on the head?"

"Loki?" Elise replied absently. "Nah, he wouldn't do that."

"What? Why not?"

More pain shot through the side of Elise's skull, and in its wake, it left a fog. "No, that doesn't make sense," she whispered, forgetting the question as the room went dark and blurry.

"Stay with me," Steve said. "Stark," he shouted, "is the ambulance coming?"

"On their way," Stark replied as he moseyed back into the living room. "What're you two talking about?"

"Talkin' 'bout Loki," Elise said. Her own words sounded funny to her, and she laughed until the building pressure in her head dissuaded her. "It's dark in here."

"She sounds drunk," Stark commented. "You sure she's not just drunk?"

Steve shook his head as sirens grew louder outside the window. "This is a new low," he said, "even for Loki."


	11. Misconduct

As her lucidity waned, Elise was surrounded. Two paramedics checked her head and strapped her to a board, and they struggled to transport her down the stairs and out of the building. With Steve Rogers on board, the ambulance left for the nearest hospital.

The ride was long, but by the time Elise arrived at her destination, she had nearly forgotten that it had happened at all. After a brief argument with a triage nurse, the Captain went along as Elise was rolled down the hall and into a curtained-off exam room.

"Am I gonna be okay?" Elise asked groggily.

Steve sighed. "If we could find a doctor, we'd know." He stood in the entrance to the room and poked his head into the hallway. "Hey! Doc!" he yelled.

"Relax, I'm coming." A tall woman in dark blue scrubs walked in and closed the curtains before approaching Elise's bed. "You must be Elise," she said. "I'm Doctor Washington. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I think she's got a concussion," Steve said. "She can't-"

"Hold on," the doctor interrupted. "Let her talk."

"Wait," said Elise, "what was the question?"

"How did you get your head injury?" the doctor asked.

Elise frowned, confused. "I hit my head," she said. "That's how I got it."

"Yes," the doctor replied as she leaned in and shined a light into Elise's eyes, "that's usually how it happens. But _how_ did you hit your head?"

"I don't know," Elise said. "I keep forgetting. Am I gonna be okay?"

"Can you try to remember?" the doctor pressed. "What were you doing before you lost consciousness?"

"I was..." Elise trailed off, then went mum. She knew the answer, but what she needed was an excuse.

Steve spoke up. "You gotta tell her, Elise."

Doctor Washington looked to the Captain. "Maybe you should leave," she suggested.

He seemed surprised, then disappointed. "Right," he said. "I guess I'll be out there if you need me."

The doctor waited until he was surely out of earshot before asking again. "Really," she said, "what were you doing? You can tell me. What you say here is confidential."

"But what if it's criminal stuff?" Elise asked as she sat up, unable to focus on Doctor Washington's face.

"We can cross that bridge when we come to it," the doctor assured her. "Tell me what happened."

"I'm a _lawyer_," Elise slurred. She couldn't tell whether she was whispering or shouting; she hoped it was the former. "I'll sue you if you tell."

"You should lie back down," the doctor said. "I want to get you in for a CAT scan. I'll be right back." With that, she was gone.

In less than a minute, the Captain returned, accompanied by Tony Stark.

"Good call on the hospital," said Stark. "She looks _terrible_."

"Don't say that," Elise mumbled. "That's mean."

"Well," Stark bantered, "with that black eye, you kind of look like you were in a fight, so I guess you could just tell people that."

"Why do I have a black eye?" Elise whined, suddenly upset.

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Hey, go easy," Steve interjected.

"Go easy?" Stark said, raising his voice. "I _am_ going easy. Not going easy would be asking her why a computer in Asia tries to break into my stuff every time S.H.I.E.L.D. sees the Tesseract light up. Why is that, Elise? Don't tell me you don't remember. I'm not buying it."

Elise became stressed, and her head felt worse. "I don't know anything," she groaned, "really."

"Shocker." Stark crossed his arms. "Then tell me this: why has Loki been in your apartment? Is that even allowed?"

"Stop," Elise whimpered, "leave me alone."

"Seriously," Steve said, "give her a break."

"Here's my theory," Stark continued. "I think you're covering for him. Which is sweet, don't get me wrong, except for the part where he whacked you so hard he put you in the hospital."

"That's enough." Doctor Washington was back, and her timing was perfect. "We're ready for the CAT scan," she said as two nurses prepared to roll Elise's bed away. "And I'm warning you two: if you get my patient upset, you're out of here."

The doctor walked beside Elise as she was wheeled down the hall. "Have you had a head injury like this before?" the doctor asked.

"No."

"Do you know how long you were unconscious?"

"A few minutes, I think."

"Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"

Elise paused to search her memory. "If it was today, does it count?"

The answer seemed to worry Doctor Washington. "When you remember what happened," she said, "speak up."

Elise went through the doors, onto the table, and into the machine. When it was over, the nurses returned her to her room. Steve had gone, but Stark kept badgering her as she waited for the results of the scan.

"So, what's he doing in your apartment?" he said. "It's gotta be a great story."

"Get out of here." Elise winced as pain gripped her head again. "What were _you_ even doing in my apartment?"

"You first."

"No." Elise laid her head down and closed her eyes. "I don't have to. I'm not going to."

"Pleading the Fifth," Stark said. "I get it. Here's the thing, though. S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps tabs on the Tesseract. It's _supposed_ to be in Asgard, but instead, it was traced to your building, then to North Korea, then back to you, then to China, then... you get the idea. But anyway, Thor said-"

"Thor?" Elise sat up again.

"Yeah, Thor," Stark repeated. "You know him? Big guy with a hammer?"

Elise felt sick, and her head spun faster. She had forgotten about Thor.

"As I was saying," Stark went on, "Thor said that Loki poisoned everyone and left with you and the Tesseract. This was only yesterday, mind you. Something about Odin's nap."

"He woke up?" Elise muttered.

"You're good at this," Stark replied facetiously. "You should be on game shows. Anyway, I guess the point is that it wasn't hard to put two and two together once I got back into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system. The only thing I don't already know is _why_."

Before Elise could answer, Doctor Washington returned. "Well, Elise," she said, "the good news is that your brain looks normal. There's no bleeding, and there's no permanent damage that we can see."

"So," Stark said, "the amnesia thing's an act, right?"

"No," the doctor answered, "and you shouldn't be bothering her right now. She's got a fairly serious concussion, and it looks like that's caused some memory loss. She needs to rest, and I'm going to recommend that we keep her tonight for observation."

Just as those words left Doctor Washington's mouth, in walked the Captain, flanked by the instantly recognizable Nick Fury and a uniformed woman who Elise didn't know.

"Excuse me," said Doctor Washington, "who are you?"

"We're with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury said. "We need to ask your patient a few questions."

"It's going to have to wait," the doctor said, imposing herself between Elise and the others. "Her brain needs to rest, and it can't do that with visitors coming in and out."

"Doctor, I'm afraid there's no time for that." Fury's one-eyed glare reached Elise, and when she turned her head to look away, she was nauseous.

"I feel sick," she complained.

"I'm prescribing you Zofran to help with that," the doctor replied. "And if your guests aren't giving you too much trouble, I'll go get it for you now."

Though she didn't want to be alone with them, Elise couldn't deal with the sickness in her stomach any longer, so she said, "Okay."

"Call the nurse if you need to," Doctor Washington said as she disappeared behind the curtains.

Almost as soon as she was gone, Fury started talking.

"This is Agent Hill," he said as he gestured to the woman he came in with. "You already know who I am."

"Can you please just go?" Elise moaned. "I can't even think straight."

"We got Loki," Fury said, ignoring her request.

"What?" said Elise. "Why? Where is he?"

"I can't tell you where he is." Fury looked around the room. "Agent Hill, keep an eye out for that doctor, would you?"

"Yes, sir," Hill replied as she slipped through the curtain to stand guard at the entrance.

Fury continued. "I _can_ tell you that he's being interviewed by our agents as we speak."

"Interviewed," Elise repeated. She stared into the wall until she recalled the connotation that word carried. "You're interrogating him?"

"You could say that," Fury replied.

"You can't!" Elise tried to stand, but she only got as far as sitting up before her lack of balance stopped her. "I'm his lawyer!" she ranted. "You can't interrogate him if I'm not there!"

"We can, and we are," said Fury. "And besides, you aren't going to be a lawyer at all, let alone his lawyer, when word gets out about what you've been up to."

"That's not true," Elise said, though she knew he was right. "You can't prove anything."

Stark interjected. "What are we trying to prove?"

"Professional misconduct," Fury said. "Besides being an accomplice to terrorism, it looks like _this_ lawyer sleeps with her clients."

The whole room was quiet long enough for humiliation and dread to sink in and send Elise's head spinning again.

Tony Stark broke the silence. "Well," he said, "that's... icky."

Captain America just nodded in concurrence; he appeared horribly uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact.

"You know you can do better, right?" Stark teased. "I'm just saying. You're kind of... slumming it, aren't you?"

Elise's stomach twisted. "I didn't sleep with him," she lied.

"That's not what Loki said," Fury retorted. "But don't worry, you two will have plenty of time to get your stories straight on the Helicarrier."

"Director," Agent Hill called, "the doctor's coming."

"Everyone out," Doctor Washington demanded as she pushed through the small crowd. "Barring any complications, you can come back tomorrow."

"It's not that simple, doctor," Fury said. "We need her discharged tonight."

"That's not an option," the doctor replied authoritatively. "She isn't leaving this hospital until I decide she's well enough. If _she_ wants to check out, that's her choice, and I can't stop her, but I won't recommend it."

Fury looked to Elise. "What do you say? You wanna come with us?"

"No," Elise said, "I want you to leave me the hell alone."

Fury sighed. "That's what I thought." He paused, then addressed Doctor Washington again. "If she's staying the night," he said, "I want someone here keeping an eye on her."

"She's not going anywhere," the doctor promised. "I'll make sure of it."

"That's not good enough," Fury replied. "I want one of ours in here. This woman's dangerous. She can't be left alone."

"I'm not dangerous," Elise protested groggily.

"Lawyers are usually dangerous," Stark commented. "Don't trust her."

"Alright, alright," said the doctor, surrendering. "One of you. And you can't stay right here, or even right outside this room."

"Why not?" Fury argued. "Are you deaf? She's a _threat_."

Doctor Washington stood silently for a moment before saying, "There are some things we have to discuss that are best handled in private."

Fury rolled his eye, huffed, then acquiesced. "Hill, did you bring a toothbrush?"

"No, sir," Agent Hill answered a bit too seriously.

"That's too bad," Fury said, "because it looks like you and Elise are having a slumber party." He turned to leave, then added snidely, "Maybe you can get her to talk about _boys_ with you."

"That's it," the doctor said. "Everyone but her, out." She watched as Fury, Stark, and the Captain filed out, then closed the curtain behind them. "Miss Hill?"

"It's Agent Hill, actually," she replied.

"Right," the doctor said. "_Agent_ Hill, I don't know what this is all about – I don't want to know, really – but I can't have you hovering over my patient. I'll have to ask that you wait in the hall."

"I understand," said Hill, "but I have to stay close by. The waiting room's not gonna cut it."

"_You_ can stay right outside," the doctor said. "I'm not worried about _you_ causing trouble. I was worried about those..." Doctor Washington seemed to have barely stopped herself from using a less-than-savory word. "Those _jokers_."

"Then that's where I'll be," Hill announced as she went to stand guard outside the door.

The doctor lowered her voice to a dire whisper. "Why won't you tell me how you hit your head?" she asked bluntly.

"I can't," Elise sighed.

"Why not?"

"Why does it matter?"

Doctor Washington wore a concerned expression. She seemed to be thinking hard about something. "What happened to your wrist there?" she asked.

Elise raised her arm to look at it; she had almost forgotten that injury entirely. "This?" she said. "Nothing."

"Can you take the bandage off?" the doctor said. "I'd like to take a look."

Slowly and clumsily, Elise unwrapped her wrist to reveal her still-healing skin.

"Hm." The doctor turned Elise's arm over in her hands. "This is really strange," she said. "It almost looks like frostbite, but... that's not it. What's the story here?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Elise said as she withdrew her arm. "You'll get the wrong idea."

"I've already got an idea," the doctor said. She lowered her voice even further until she was barely audible. "I think you're protecting your partner. I know domestic violence when I see it."

Elise let her head fall back onto the pillow. She sighed, gathered her scattered thoughts, and said quietly, "You wouldn't understand."

"I might," said Doctor Washington as she sat down on the stool that belonged to the room and inched closer to Elise. "Try me."

"He'll hear me," Elise muttered mindlessly. "He'll know."

"We have confidentiality," the doctor reminded her. "He won't find out if you say something."

"See?" Elise said. "You already don't understand." She closed her eyes, but she couldn't stop a tear from sneaking out. She was becoming angry, not with Loki, but with herself. "It could have worked. I got scared. I dropped the ball. We had rules, and I..." She had to stop. Her head felt like it had been trapped under the wheel of a truck. She needed to calm herself down.

"You broke the rules," said Doctor Washington, her tone sympathetic and calm. "What happened then?"

"I don't even want it," Elise mumbled, semi-conscious. "I don't want to be a queen."

"You're not making sense," the doctor said. "Try to relax."

Her memories were still blurry, but they were quickly coming into focus. "It's complicated," Elise said. "I made mistakes on top of mistakes, and now... what if he doesn't love me?"

"You don't want that kind of love," the doctor replied. "If you don't put an end to it, the next time I see you, you might be downstairs."

"What's downstairs?" Elise asked.

"The morgue."

Those words shook Elise, but the threat just didn't seem real. "He wouldn't," she said, her voice wavering. "He needs me."

Doctor Washington shook her head solemnly. "But what happens when he doesn't anymore?"

There was no response Elise could give. She forced the thought down and buried it as deeply as possible.

"Look," the doctor said, "before you leave, I'm going to give you a few phone numbers you can call if you decide you want help. There are women's shelters all over the city, I'm sure they'll be able to fit you in somewhere." She stood. "For now, though, why don't you get some rest? I'll come back in a while to check up on you."

"Thanks," Elise muttered as Doctor Washington left the room. She reclined in the bed and tried to sleep, but after a few seconds, her peace was disturbed.

"Mind if I come in?" Agent Hill called from the hallway.

"Go to hell," Elise groaned in response.

Hill entered the room anyway. "That was uncalled for," she said. "I'm just doing my job."

"All you're doing is giving me a headache."

"Sorry you feel that way." Hill took the seat the doctor had left behind. "Listen. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't your enemy, or at least we don't have to be. You've done some things, sure, but there's still a chance to make up for it."

"First of all," Elise started, but she quickly forgot what she was trying to say. "Let me think. I have two points. Just..."

"Take your time," Hill said.

"First, I'm a lawyer."

"I know. I'm sure you're a good one."

"No," Elise insisted. "You're not listening. I've seen this. You're trying to get in my head."

"Not at all," Hill replied. "I just want to talk."

"Second..." Elise lost track of her thought again. "Forget it," she said, "I guess I've only got one."

Hill nodded sympathetically. "I've had concussions before. It sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

"That's why I don't get it."

"What?"

"Why stick your neck out for Loki after all this?" Hill asked.

"Nope," Elise said, cutting the conversation short. "Nope. We're done talking."

"Just listen," Hill urged, lowering her voice. "He could have killed you."

"But he didn't."

"So?"

Elise had had it with Agent Hill's transparent attempts at coercion, and she wasn't well enough for a debate. "Just tell me what you want," she said.

"We want you on the Helicarrier tonight," Hill explained. "We're going to take you into custody tomorrow regardless, but the sooner, the better."

Elise was skeptical. Even with a head injury, she told herself, she wouldn't be tricked. "That's not all, is it?"

"Well, no," Hill admitted. "But that's step one."

"Can I see him when I get there?" Elise asked.

"Loki?" Agent Hill seemed to mull it over. "Is that what it's gonna take?"

"Yes," Elise said. The conversation had exhausted her, but it was too precious a negotiation to abandon; she stood her ground with what strength she had left. "I'll fight you every step of the way if I can't be with him."

Hill looked doubtful, but after a few more seconds of silence, she gave in. "Alright," she said. "When the doctor comes back, tell her you're leaving. You'll surrender yourself, and then you can talk to Loki. Deal?"

"Deal," said Elise.


	12. Arrest

When Doctor Washington returned to her bedside, Elise broke the news.

"I'm leaving tonight," she said. "I guess I'm going with Agent Hill."

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked. "You really shouldn't be up and about until you feel well enough. It's safer if you stay."

"I have to go," Elise replied as she sat up, feeling woozy. "I made a deal."

"I won't tell you what to do," Doctor Washington said, "but I _am_ going to have to ask you to sign an agreement releasing the hospital of any liability."

"I figured." Elise stood. She teetered, uneasy on her feet, but she eventually found her balance.

"I'm also going to get you the number for that shelter we talked about," the doctor added. "It would make me feel a lot better if you promised to call."

"Oh. Don't bother," Elise said. She focused on her effort to stand up straight and steady. "I can handle this. I'm gonna talk to him tonight."

The doctor seemed surprised. "Don't do that," she said. "I'm saying that on a personal level, one woman to another. Please don't do that."

"What else am I gonna do?" Elise said, nonchalant but for the weariness in her voice. "Actually, never mind. Can you just get me that waiver?"

"I really don't feel comfortable with this."

"Just get me the waiver," Elise repeated. "It's not your problem anymore."

Doctor Washington nodded gravely, then left without another word.

While she waited, Elise found time to reflect on the circumstances into which she had been pushed. She was afraid to be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody, and she worried that Agent Hill wouldn't keep her promise. She wondered what Loki would say, and she wondered what he expected from her. She knew she was in trouble – _serious_ trouble - but somehow, she found herself more concerned about what would happen to him. She hoped that he had a plan. He just _had_ to. And this time, she told herself, she would recognize her doubts for what they were: just doubts.

The doctor returned with a clipboard and a business card. "Sign here," she instructed as she entrusted to Elise the waiver and a pen. She then handed over the card. "This is the number for the shelter. Give them a call when you're ready."

"Thanks," Elise said as she signed the form and pocketed the card.

"Now, don't rush your recovery," the doctor advised. "Concussions are hard to gauge. Some people feel better in as little as a week, others don't feel completely normal for months. If you-"

The doctor's speech was interrupted when Agent Hill entered the room toting a set of handcuffs. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Hold on, I'm not finished," Doctor Washington said. "If you have another head injury, even if you think it's minor, come right back. Don't take any chances. Other than that, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, take time off of work if you need to..." She paused. "And keep that number handy, okay?"

"Okay." Elise turned to Agent Hill, took a deep breath, and said, "I think I'm ready."

"Turn around," Hill said. "Hands behind your back."

Elise frowned. "You're really gonna handcuff me?"

Hill nodded. "That's protocol."

"Can you skip it?" Elise requested. "I won't do anything, I swear."

"Sorry," Hill said as she turned Elise and tightened the cuffs around her wrists. "It's a necessary precaution."

Elise cringed as the metal pressed into the wound on her arm, stinging her skin. She watched as Agent Hill touched her fingers to her ear and, apparently, a small radio.

"Milton is in custody," Hill said quietly. "Stand down. We're coming up."

"Up?" Elise questioned as Hill ushered her out of the emergency room and toward a well-concealed staircase.

"Yes," the Agent confirmed. "I know your doctor wouldn't like it, but we're taking a helicopter."

"Oh."

They walked several flights of stairs, and by the time they reached the roof, Elise was exhausted, dizzy, and sick. When she saw the whirling blades of the chopper, she thought she was going to throw up.

"Give me a sec," Elise panted as she closed her eyes and bent slightly at the waist.

"What's wrong?" Hill asked, still holding onto Elise's upper arm.

"I just... oh, God." She closed her eyes and breathed, deeply and rhythmically, until the anxiety and nausea subsided. "Okay. I'm good."

Agent Hill helped Elise into the aircraft, then seated herself before they took off. The flight was turbulent, and Elise struggled to keep her head still as Hill persisted, questioning and prodding and digging for information.

"How did it happen?" she asked.

"What?"

"How did he convince you to carry a bomb into a hospital?"

Elise rubbed her aching temple. "I didn't know what it was."

"So you admit it, then?" Hill pushed. "You _did_ deliver the bomb."

"I'm not confessing to anything, if that's what you want me to do."

"Alright." Hill leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. "Then tell me about your relationship with Loki."

"No," Elise replied curtly. "Not a chance."

"Why not?" Hill said. "Is there something you want to hide?"

"You want me to incriminate myself."

"Well, as far as your indiscretion goes, Loki's already done that for you."

"You're full of it," Elise spat.

"Less so than you'd think." Hill leaned forward and lowered her voice. "He's got some sick ideas, and he's not afraid to broadcast them. Some of it even made _my_ skin crawl."

"Stop."

"I don't know if he's just saying this stuff just to derail our interviews, or..."

"_Stop_ it."

"But either way, he's got some plans that involve you, and they're all creepy, to say the least."

"_Cut it out_!" Elise screamed, losing her self-control. "My _God_, do you think I'm fucking _stupid_?" The volume of her own voice sent a lightning-like shock through her forehead. "You're _awful_,"

she said, cringing at the pain. "You people are _all_ awful."

Agent Hill just sat back and stared for a few tense seconds. "It's a shame that you think that." Her tone was shaded with a contrived calm. "We were planning on helping you."

Elise closed her eyes rested her head on the back of her seat. "What are you going to help me with?"

"With the charges that will inevitably be brought against you," Hill replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. could get those charges dropped."

"But you want me to roll over on Loki, or whatever."

"That's the gist of it."

Elise considered the consequences of that proposition. On the one hand, she could have been a hero. Loki had told her what he had planned, and he hadn't exactly been kind to her, after all. She could have passed his information on to Agent Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D. She could have liberated herself from guilt. But what if S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't as powerful as they said they were? Elise knew too little about them. What if they couldn't hold Loki? Neither option was without its risks, she thought. At worst, if she kept her mouth shut, she would take her chances at trial. But if she gambled with Loki's temper...

"It's a pretty easy decision," Hill said.

"It's not," Elise replied.

"What's making it hard?"

Honestly, Elise wasn't sure. "I told him I loved him," she said. "I can't just turn on him."

"You can," Hill said, "and you should. You're not in love. You're a hostage, and you're sympathizing with your captor."

The helicopter shook in the wind, and Elise groaned. "I have to think."

"There's not a lot of time for that." Hill craned her neck to steal a glance at the cockpit. "Look at it this way. How long have you known him? A week?"

"Yeah," Elise admitted. "About a week."

"And how long and hard have you been working to get to where you are? Professionally, I mean."

"Years," Elise responded. "Years and years."

"Are you willing to throw that all away for someone you barely know?"

Elise paused. "But what happens to Loki?"

Hill shrugged. "I still don't understand why you care."

The aircraft landed, but not on the ground, and not outside. They stepped out into what appeared to be a small hangar, and Agent Hill escorted Elise through the halls into a control room full of expensive-looking technology. Fury stood at the center, surrounded by several monitors, and he turned when they arrived.

"Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D., Elise," he said, not pleasantly. "I'm so glad you decided to join us."

"Director," said Agent Hill, sounding uneasy, "I had to promise her something to get her to come."

Fury glared. "What?"

Hill took a breath. "Sir, I told her she could talk to Loki."

He shook his head and pressed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "And what made you think _that_ was a good idea?"

"Sir," Hill said, "you said to do whatever I had to do to get her here. That's what I had to do."

"Do the interview first," he instructed as he turned to view something on one of the monitors, "_then_ she can see him."

"I'm not saying anything until I see him," Elise said.

Fury wheeled around. "_What_ did you say?" he growled.

"I want to talk to him before I talk to anyone else," Elise answered. "You're not getting anything from me until I see Loki."

"Fine. Have it your way," Fury replied, clearly displeased. He turned away again and became busy. "Keep it short."

With her hands still bound behind her back, Elise followed Agent Hill through two heavy, air-tight doors, but before they proceeded through the third, Hill stopped.

"Here's the situation," she said as she removed Elise's handcuffs. "We're holding Loki in a secure cell. He'll be able to hear you, and you'll be able to hear him, but you'll be separated by a transparent panel. He can't break it, and he can't touch you. Should anything happen, there's a button on the opposite wall. You have to pound it with your fist. That'll send out a distress signal, and we'll get you out of there."

Elise was skeptical. "If he can't get out, why would you tell me that?"

"Just in case," Hill replied. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

The last door opened, and Agent Hill stayed behind while Elise went through. On her left, sure enough, was the panic button; on her right was Loki. He looked manic and tired. His hair was a mess, and his mouth was bent into a grin that pushed wrinkles into the corners of his eyes. When he caught sight of Elise, his smile evaporated, and he paced to the glass wall that separated them.

"Look," he said as he stole closer, "a visitor."

Elise just watched him, though he barely moved.

"What happened to you?" Loki asked blithely. "You look hurt."

"You hit me," Elise breathed. "You gave me a concussion."

"Then you _do_ remember," he said, seemingly amused.

"But why?" Elise asked. "Why would you do that?"

"I had forgotten what fragile creatures mortals can be." He backed slightly away from the glass. "I could not have anticipated such a grave injury."

With her hands finally free, Elise touched two fingers to the side of her face to gauge the amount of swelling. "You shouldn't have done it, anyway," she mumbled.

"You shouldn't have given me a _reason_ to do it," he sneered.

With Loki rendered harmless, Elise's confidence grew, and so did her anger. "_You_ shouldn't be starting a third World War," she said. "You shouldn't even _be_ here. You should be waiting for your trial like everyone else does. You should-"

Loki lurched forward and bashed the glass panel with both fists, shaking the cell. "_You_ cannot give orders to _me_," he yelled. "These people, these _mortals_, they say that I will never escape. Is that not what they tell you? They are _gravely_ mistaken. They know not my power. They know not what I have planned!"

Elise backed toward the wall and the panic button.

"You wouldn't _dare_," Loki hissed. "If you leave this place now, _mark my words_, you will regret _ever_ having trifled with a _god_."

"So what do you want?" Elise responded as she tried to steady her trembling hands. "You just want me to stand here so you can yell at me?"

"Not quite." His wicked smile returned. "You will stand there and listen as I tell you what you must do next."

"What's there to do?" she replied. "This is over."

"This is not at _all_ over." He laughed darkly, but then he was serious. "Lift your shirt."

"What?" Elise exclaimed. "That? Here?"

"No, Elise, you insipid harlot," he said, exasperated. "I wish to know whether they have burdened you with some device or another, something that might give them ears within these walls."

"Oh." Somewhat embarrassed, she entertained his request, turning as she did. "There's nothing on me."

"Good," Loki said as Elise covered herself back up. "Now, listen well. The Tesseract, in part, is still in my possession."

"In part?"

"Yes." His eyes darted left and right. "Though the relic itself is still mine, much of its power has been stored. I know not precisely how they did it, but my allies have found a way. Clever men, they are."

Elise was newly worried. "You're still dealing with North Korea?"

"Not exactly," Loki said, beginning to wander around his cell. "My work is done. The rest is in their hands. Now, the-"

"But wait," Elise protested feverishly, "that's it? Couldn't you call it off? They might let you go if you do."

He laughed. "But why, on the eve of my ascent to the throne that is rightfully mine, would I do that?"

"Humanity," Elise said. "People are going to die horribly. Don't you care?"

"Humanity?" Loki repeated the word as though it were unfamiliar. "I am not human. I have no need for humanity." He returned to glass near Elise before he went on. "As I was saying, the Tesseract is not whole. It could take days for it to reach its full strength again, or it could take longer yet. For now, however... well, we cannot simply _wait_ here for the old relic to regenerate, can we?"

Elise couldn't be sure whether her injured brain was causing her to misunderstand him or if he truly intended to escape. "We're up in the air," she said. "Even if you can get out, where will you go?"

"_We_ will go someplace safe." Loki touched his fingertips to the glass. "Someplace remote. But given your apparent sensitivity, we will not do that until the floating fortress is closer to the ground." He smirked. "What goes up must always come down, must it not?"

"But what after that?" Elise asked. "You don't have a plan, do you?"

His mood took a turn; his hand clenched into a fist and his forehead wrinkled. "I _always_ have a plan, little girl, and today is no exception. If you would simply silence yourself, I would _tell_ you what you must do."

She hesitated for a moment, but finally, perhaps misguidedly, Elise spoke her mind. "Why should I do anything for you?"

"_What_?" Loki snarled through gritted teeth.

Though she was frightened and queasy, Elise didn't relent. "You moved into my apartment, you started controlling my life, you got me involved with things I wanted no part of, you ruined my career, and then - just for good measure, I guess - you put me in the hospital. You could have _killed_ me! Why should I-"

"You think I was trying to kill you, do you?" The look on Loki's face became sinister, and he assumed an aggressive posture. "No, Elise," he growled, "had I wanted to kill you, you would be long dead." His gaze settled squarely on her. "You now know what one of my hands can do to your head, and if you do not wish to discover what two can do to your _neck_, you will do _exactly_ as I ask. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less."

That threat was enough for Elise. "Okay," she whispered, hoping that her quiet would have a cooling effect on his temper. "Just relax. I guess I didn't mean it."

"Do not test me," he cautioned. "Are you prepared to do my bidding?"

Elise nodded, and her head felt full.

"Good." Loki clasped his hands together and brought his fingertips to his lips, casting his eyes downward as if he were praying. He sighed as he let his arms fall to his sides. "When you leave here, they will undoubtedly question you. What will you say?"

"Nothing without a lawyer present," Elise replied quickly. "I know how these interviews work."

He laughed sarcastically. "Very clever," he said. "But _you_ are a lawyer. Do you mean to say that you will cooperate with them?"

"No, of course not," Elise said. "I wasn't trying to be snarky, just... never mind."

"I need your word," Loki pushed. "No matter what horrors they threaten, you are to be silent. Is that clear?"

"Horrors?" Elise's brow wrinkled with fear. "Do they... they aren't _torturing_ people, are they?"

"I assure you, they are not above it," said Loki. "For someone who claims such experience, you seem not to understand the lengths to which others might go in order to fulfill their desires."

"It's just surreal, that's all."

"No. _This_ is reality." Loki's eyes scanned Elise slowly, from her feet up to her battered face. "Is it not terrible? Would it not be better for me to shield you from it?"

"How can you?" she asked despondently. "You're locked up."

"Not for long." He stared out from behind the glass as if he could see his plan materializing before him. "All you must do for now is keep quiet. Let them believe that you are blind and deaf to my intentions. Then, when the time comes, simply follow me."

"But where?"

Before Loki could answer, the door to Elise's right opened, and in walked Agent Hill, handcuffs dangling from her fingers.

"Time's up," Hill said. She wrestled Elise's arms behind her back and tightened the cuffs around them.

"What a shame," Loki remarked from his cell.

Agent Hill sighed. "What now, Loki?"

"My woman is in chains," he replied, "but what good is that if you won't allow me near her?"

"Sick freak," Hill mumbled as she pushed Elise through the exit.

"What, are you jealous?" Loki heckled as they left. "Perhaps you'd like to join us in bed next time."

"Disgusting," Agent Hill said as the first door shut behind them with a clunk. "Absolutely disgusting."

"He's just joking," Elise replied.

"You think that's funny?"

"Kind of."

"You don't have to defend him, you know," Agent Hill said. "He's done for."

"If he was done for," Elise argued, "you wouldn't need me."

They walked in silence until they arrived at their destination.

"We're keeping you in the infirmary," Hill said. She gestured for Elise to take a seat on a cot similar to the ones at the hospital. "You're not gonna run, are you?"

"Nope," Elise said. "Nowhere to go."

"I'm locking the door anyway," Hill said as she crossed the floor to the exit. "I'll be right back. Sit tight."

While she waited, Elise noticed several things about the dimly-lit room. For one, the cot on which she sat was fitted with restraints. The surgical implements on the table beside her were also unsettling. Perhaps Loki was right, she thought; perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interrogation techniques were "enhanced." She squirmed as she envisioned several horrific scenarios.

When Agent Hill returned, she carried a clipboard, and she was accompanied by an unhappy-looking Nick Fury.

"Let's chat," Fury said, folding his arms in front of him. "How's your head?"

"Little better," Elise said. "Not great."

"Glad to hear it." He didn't seem glad. "Why don't you start by explaining how Loki escaped from Asgard?"

"I don't know how he escaped," Elise fibbed. "I wasn't involved with that."

"Is that so?" Fury said. "Then why does Thor seem to think it's all your fault?"

"He's wrong."

Fury scowled, obviously dissatisfied with her answers. "Hill," he said, "let me see that for a minute."

Hill passed him the clipboard, and Fury flipped through the papers it held.

"You wanna know what turned up on Jane Foster's toxicology screen when she finally made it to a hospital?" he asked.

"Not really," Elise replied.

"I'm gonna tell you anyway." He turned the page in search of something. "Benzodiazepines."

"Why do you have her medical records?"

"I've got yours, too," Fury responded. "Everything from the past five years. Says here you've got a bad case of anxiety."

"That's confidential," Elise protested.

"Must be tough. Those panic attacks are a _bitch_, aren't they?" Fury looked up from the clipboard. "Good thing your doctor prescribed you diazepam."

"Excuse me?"

"_Valium_, Elise," Fury said. "Jane's never taken Valium. Thor doesn't even know what it is. You were the only person in Asgard with a prescription for it."

"What are you implying?" Elise asked.

"Well, Miss Foster wants to press charges, so I'm going to assume she didn't _ask_ you for pills."

"You think I drugged her?"

"_I_ think Loki drugged her," Fury said, "but I think you gave him the drugs."

Elise didn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to tell him what happened, to distance herself from the crime that she knew had occurred, but she couldn't. Not without pointing a finger at Loki.

"But that's the least of your worries," Fury continued. "I'm not a cop, and I'm not a lawyer, but I've done a little research. You're probably looking at attempted murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, maybe treason... _definitely_ some kind of attorney misconduct, if nothing else sticks."

"I can explain..."

"Then explain."

Elise hesitated. "What do you want me to say?"

"I'll be completely honest with you," Fury said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't concerned with any sort of criminal investigation. The only thing we're concerned with is stopping Loki in his tracks. We can make everything else go away as long as you tell us whatever he's told you."

"You don't get it," Elise said. Her head was beginning to hurt her again. "It's not that simple."

"It's only as complicated as you wanna make it." Fury handed the clipboard back to Agent Hill. "Why don't you just tell me what you were doing at that hospital?"

"I had a concussion."

"Not _that_ hospital," Fury said. "The other one. The one in Queens."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elise lied. There truly was no way to explain that great a lapse in judgment.

Fury's tone became more accusatory. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. The surveillance camera caught everything. You went in with a box, and you came out without one. What happened there?"

"I didn't know what it was," Elise said before she could stop herself. "I had no idea."

"You know now, don't you?" Fury replied. "Who drove you there?"

"I don't know."

"Who gave you the box?"

"I can't say."

"_Loki_ gave you the box!" Fury shouted. "It was Loki, wasn't it?"

"_No_!" It wasn't true, but the response came quickly.

Fury touched his fingers to his temple and shut his eye as if he, too, had a headache. "Hill, I thought you said she was ready to cooperate."

"She was, sir," Agent Hill said.

Fury looked back to Elise. "But then she talked to Loki."

Hill nodded. "Right."

"What did he say to you in there?" Fury asked Elise.

"Nothing," she replied quietly.

"It's never _nothing_," Fury said. "You need to tell me what he said to you." He took a step toward Elise and pointed a finger at her as he stared her down. "_Right now_."

The small act of aggression made Elise shut down. If they were planning to torture her, it was going to start now, she assumed. Her face went red and her lips curled in, and she blinked to stop tears from cracking her stony demeanor. She took a deep breath before she said: "I couldn't help you even if I wanted to."

The words seemed to irritate Fury further. He turned away, his hands forming fists, and with one, pounded the wall. "God _damn_ it," he roared. He sighed, then returned to Elise. "Since you don't seem to care about anything else, let me put this another way. You got a family?"

"Yeah," said Elise.

"Well, pretty soon, you might not."

"So now you're going after my _family_?"

"Not us," Fury said. "Your boyfriend's got a thing for indiscriminate killing."

"He's not my boyfriend," Elise mumbled.

"Of all the words in that sentence, _that's_ the one that bugs you?" said Fury. "Do you not understand that every major city on earth is a target? Or do you just not _care_?"

"Of _course_ I care!" Elise shouted.

"But you're too selfish to do anything," Fury said. "You're too scared of what Loki might do to _you_. But I'll let you in on a little secret: we've taken him down once, and if he makes a move, we'll take him down again. It's up to you if you wanna go down with him, but I'm offering you a way out. You tell us what he has planned, and Loki won't be able to touch you. You'll have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection, and we'll make sure you don't go to prison for life."

It was either too good to be true, Elise thought, or S.H.I.E.L.D. was absolutely terrified of Loki. "Can you really do all that?"

"We sure can," Fury replied. "Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a heavy pounding on the metal door.

"_Open this door immediately_!"

Elise recognized the clear, dense voice. Her stomach twisted into an ugly knot. It was Thor.

"Thor?" Agent Hill called. "What's going on?"

"She needs _help_!" Thor shouted from outside. "Open the door!"

Hill pressed a button, the door sprung open, and Thor rushed in with an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder.

"Loki has escaped, and he..." Thor approached the cot, but when he saw Elise, he stopped moving and stared at her, clearly confused. Elise couldn't stop staring at the person Thor was carrying. The woman he had with him _was_ Elise, or at the very least, her doppelganger. She was an exact copy, right down to her scarred wrist. It wasn't a hallucination, Elise knew. Something was happening, and she waited, breathlessly, her hands still trapped in cuffs behind her back, to find out what.

"Is that Elise?" Thor finally asked.

"Is _that_ Elise?" Hill replied.

"What is this, a prank?" said Fury. "You know we don't mess around here, Thor."

"This is no trick," Thor said, lowering his voice. "When I went to see my brother, he was gone, but Elise was in his cage, and she was hurt." Standing there, still holding the imposter, he looked ludicrous.

"So _where's Loki_?" Fury shouted as he started out into the corridor, followed closely by Agent Hill.

After a few moments, a siren sounded, sending a stabbing sensation through Elise's skull. She closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them again, she saw the bewilderment in Thor's face give way to understanding. Suddenly, he threw Elise's copy to the ground beside the cot.

"_Loki_!" Thor bellowed. "Show yourself!"

The copy stood, apparently awake, and smiled. "Thor, you are as foolish as ever," it muttered in Elise's voice and Loki's cadence. It grasped Elise's arm, pulled her to her feet, and positioned her in front of itself before it changed its shape.

"Brother, you will not pass," Thor announced as he imposed himself in the doorway. "I will not allow it!"

"Is that so?" Loki said. "Then answer me this." He brought a hand to Elise's throat and dug his fingers in. "How much pressure do you suppose it would take to crush a mortal's neck?"

Elise wasn't convinced that he wouldn't follow through. Panic shook her legs as she gasped for breath; without Loki's support, she would have fallen.

"You would never do that to her," said Thor. "Not after all she has done for you."

"You know well that I would." Loki stepped toward the exit, pushing Elise in front of him. "My hand is quicker than yours. If you move toward me, I _will_ kill her. Move out of my way, and she will remain unharmed." He chuckled. "Well, more or less unharmed."

Thor just stood in the doorway, indecisive, as Loki tightened his grip to choke Elise.

"Move," she rasped. "Fucking _move_."

Finally, Thor stood aside, his face wrinkled and tense with frustration. Loki's hand left Elise's neck and tangled itself in her hair as he walked, almost casually, toward the end of the hall.

"For those who have not heard," he shouted into the corridors, which were filling with guards and agents, every single one armed, "should _anyone_ approach me, I will twist her head until every bone in her neck breaks."

As Elise's eyes darted from one face to another, she saw expressions filled with pity, confusion, and concentration. Some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had already taken aim, and they seemed to be waiting for someone to say "fire."

"I've got a clear shot," someone said.

"Stand down," someone with more authority ordered. "The last thing we need is a dead civilian."

"Listen to your superiors," Loki proclaimed as he sidled up to an electronic panel that was home to a litany of buttons and levers. He pulled one lever, and the lights went out. He pulled another, and cold wind from outside forced its way into the Helicarrier as a door that spanned a large portion of the wall creaked open. Elise looked out; they were still far from the ground, but the Helicarrier appeared to be flying relatively low.

Loki backed toward the edge, and clutching her tightly, he took Elise with him as he fell.


	13. Fraud

With her arms still bound behind her back in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s handcuffs and her torso compressed under Loki's embrace, Elise plummeted to the earth from the Helicarrier. The wind whipped at her cheeks and drowned out her screams, and she kept her eyes tightly shut. If Loki had been scared, Elise would have had no way of knowing it. As they neared the ground below, Elise thought of her family, said a quick prayer – to God, not to Loki – and braced herself.

Fortunately, though, before they hit the floor of the forest into which they were falling, there was a flash. Time seemed to skew. As the blackness in Elise's consciousness gave way to dusky light, she came to realize that she was on the ground, and besides her blurred vision and aching head, she was alright.

Elise breathed sharply in, and as she exhaled, she started to cry. She lay face-down in the leaves and melting snow. She lifted her head momentarily to glance at Loki; he was already meandering around, gazing up at the trees as though he were suspicious of their intentions.

"Stop that," said Loki. He seemed distracted, likely by his own thoughts. "Stop that immediately."

"I'm not doing anything," Elise sobbed.

"Stop _weeping_." He stepped toward her. "You look ugly that way. Pathetic."

"Why would you _say_ something like that?" Clumsily, without the use of her hands, she got to her knees. "What's _wrong_ with you?"

"You must calm yourself before you say something you might regret." Loki stood over her and watched her as she knelt, crying, on the muddy ground. "Would you like me to free your wrists from those chains?" he asked condescendingly.

"Yes," Elise replied with a sniffle.

Loki smirked. "Ask me nicely."

"Will you _please_ get me out of these handcuffs?" she requested facetiously, rolling her eyes.

"That didn't sound very nice," Loki scolded, his smirk broadening to a smile. "Try again."

"Loki, this is ridiculous," said Elise. "Just help me out."

"No," he laughed, "I shall do no such thing."

"It's not funny," Elise objected. Tears returned to her eyes; she was already at the end of her rope. "It's really not funny."

"I disagree," Loki said. His smile disappeared, and his tone grew firmer. "Perhaps you shall remain in shackles. Perhaps you will learn from this."

"Stop it," Elise insisted. "Stop trying to teach me lessons I don't want to learn."

"You poor creature. You must be confused." Loki stepped slowly around Elise's side to stand at her back. "Does your memory fail you?"

"That can happen with concussions," Elise remarked, "so I guess you could say-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the sole of Loki's boot hit the space between her shoulder blades. Elise's torso curled over her knees, and her cheek sank into the mud as Loki ground his heel harder and harder into her back.

"This resistance," he snarled, "this childish defiance... I grow tired of it, and it _will_ cease." Once he had made his point, he removed his foot.

Elise lifted her head and gasped for breath. She was delirious; her head was foggy and her thoughts were scattered. Her condition only seemed to worsen as she rose to her knees once again.

"You _love_ me," Loki said as he circled her, returned to her front, and assessed her dirty, bruised face. "You wept at my feet and swore that you did. Was that merely a performance? A lie?"

Elise couldn't be sure. It felt true at the time, but now she was scarred, bruised, and nearly broken, and she wanted to change her mind. But of course, she couldn't tell him that. "Of course not," she replied hoarsely. "I love you."

She flinched as Loki extended his arms downward to cradle her face in his hands.

"If you _do_ love me, you will obey me," he lectured. "And if you obey me, I will care for you." The smile returned to his lips. "Sweet, pitiful thing. I so despise the sight of you suffering."

"Then why are you making me suffer?"

"Your pain will never abet if you cannot submit fully to me. Were it not for me, your struggle would be with yourself." Loki looked over his shoulder, then turned back to Elise. "I am your future. You cannot change what has already been predetermined. I am prepared to rule, but are you fit to stand at my side?"

"I don't get it," Elise mumbled.

"I shall have you as my queen," Loki said. "Is that not what you want?"

Elise didn't know what she wanted, but it wasn't that. "Doesn't it seem kind of sudden?"

"Not at all." Loki's eyes seemed to glaze over with ambition even as they remained fixed on Elise's. "I knew within moments of your arrival in Asgard that you would be my wife. I knew that if I could only break you, I could make you mine. Have I not succeeded? Are you not broken?"

At that moment, Elise resumed crying.

"My mortal bride," he said, "who is your king?"

"You," Elise answered automatically. She tasted salt and dirt as she parted her lips to form the word.

"Very good." Loki's hands left her face. "Now, if I recall, there was something you wanted from me. What was it?"

Defeated, Elise breathed a weak sigh before she asked, in her most sincere tone, "Will you please help me get out of these handcuffs?"

"Of course I will," Loki grinned. "Stand up."

Elise got to her feet and turned her back to him.

"Do you see how simple that was?" Loki asked as he pulled at the chain, attempting to separate its links. "All you had to do was ask me nicely."

With a metallic pop, Elise's arms were freed, though the halved set of cuffs remained on her wrists. "Thank you," she said.

"You are quite welcome." Loki began to wander, and his eyes seemed to take in everything. "Now, then," he said, "shall we find our way out of this forest?"

"I guess," Elise replied. "Do you know where we are?"

"No." Loki stared up at the canopy of the trees as he spoke. "But it matters not. We needed to leave that city. It was no longer safe."

"What are we going to do?"

"We will find a town and a place to sleep," Loki replied, turning his gaze to Elise. "It is already nearly dark."

"How?" Elise asked. "We can't go anywhere without someone recognizing you."

"I know." He smirked, seemingly satisfied with his own infamy. "We will go to town for supplies, and then we will sleep in the forest."

"But we don't have any money. It's not like we can just walk into Gander Mountain, pick out a tent, and leave with it."

"Walk into a mountain?" Loki appeared somewhat confused. "That's nonsense."

"No, not a real mountain..." Elise sighed. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't see how we're going to get what we need."

"Easily," Loki replied. "We shall simply take it."

"What?"

"I said, we shall _take_ what supplies we need."

Elise frowned. "You want to steal camping equipment?"

Loki dismissed her question with a chuckle. "We must hurry," he said. "It will be dark before long."

Elise followed him closely, hustling to keep up, as he navigated through the trees. Her diminished sense of sight crippled her in the dusk and nearly blinded her in the night. She groped for his hand when they reached an incline and began to walk downhill, but her fingertips couldn't find him. As the hill became steeper, Elise lost her footing and slid on her bottom into what she could only assume was a creek.

Loki reached down and plucked her up by her forearm. "Do you see that fire in the valley?" he asked.

"I think so," Elise replied as she squinted to focus on the flicker of light. "Why?"

"Go down there."

"Huh?

"Go."

Elise looked to his face for a sign that he was joking. "Alone?"

"Yes," Loki replied. "Go down there."

"And do what?"

"Do you see those people?"

Elise narrowed her eyes further until she could make out two moving shapes in the light. "Yeah," she said, "but what do you want me to do?"

"Elise," Loki sighed, apparently irritated, "what did we discuss just a moment ago?"

"You want me to _rob_ them?" Elise exclaimed.

"And what did we discuss just _before_ that?" Loki snarled. "Do not pretend surprise. You will go down there, lure them away from their camp, and meet me here once you have overstayed your welcome."

Elise strained her eyes hard to try to see their faces, but she couldn't. That was probably for the best, she thought.

"You are wasting time," Loki scolded. "Move."

"Okay." Elise took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Alright. I'm going."

She started down the steep hill, shuffling slowly, sideways, hoping not to slip and fall in the mud again. She had neither a plan to enact nor an excuse to give to the poor campers. If the heist didn't go smoothly, Elise knew, there would be consequences for her, but worse consequences still for these strangers.

Approaching the campsite, the baffled and fearful expression on Elise's face did not change. When she stumbled out of the forest and into the clearing, she was met with long stares from two sets of eyes.

"Can we help you?" a young woman asked as she approached Elise. She looked like an odd creature in the light of the fire, with ponytailed dreadlocks forming bumps on her head and her coat, two sizes too big, hanging comically from her thin frame.

"Oh my God," her companion exclaimed as he emerged from their tent, "are you alright?" He was tall, bearded, and tattooed, just as peculiar-looking as his friend.

With eyes wide, Elise looked from one camper to the other as they closed in on her, but instead of hostility, there was sympathy and worry in their shadowed faces.

"Can you talk?" the woman asked, her voice low and kind. "Did something happen to you?"

Elise nodded. "Yeah," she replied absently, "yeah, something happened..."

"She's got handcuffs on," the man pointed out.

"What the hell?" The woman grabbed Elise's wrist and turned it over. "Are you _okay_? What happened?"

Elise looked directly into the woman's eyes and lied. "I was kidnapped," she said. "There was this crazy old man, he locked me in the trunk of his car, and I've been there for days." The story rolled almost effortlessly off her lips. "It was horrible. I don't even know where I am."

"Oh my God!" The woman covered her mouth with her hand.

"Don't worry," her companion said, though his tone of voice was uneven and panicked. "We'll just... we'll take you to the hospital. If we leave now, we'll-"

"No!" Elise interjected quickly. At the hospital, she knew, she would be too easy to find. "Isn't there a park ranger or something? Can you take me to the park ranger?"

"No way," the man replied. "The park's closed, they don't know we're here. We'll get arrested for trespassing, or something."

"Rob, come on," the woman urged. "This is an emergency!"

"No, Shannon, _you_ come on," he retorted. "Rangers are like cops. You know you can't trust cops."

"Well, yeah," said Shannon, "but she's been through a _trauma_. You gotta put the power in the victim's hands, man."

Elise flashed Rob a helpless look. "Please," she said, pouting as convincingly as she could. "I've been through so much."

He sighed. "Shannon, you good to drive?"

"Yeah, whatever," she said as she started toward the bumper-stickered Jeep parked at the entrance to the campsite. "Get in, quick."

"Thank you," Elise said as she crept into the back seat of the strangers' car.

They drifted down the road that cut through the campground, and though Elise knew that it was probably best that she said as little as possible, she was curious.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Allegheny," Rob replied. "Why? Where'd you come from?"

"Nowhere," said Elise, not having prepared for that question.

"You had to have come from somewhere," the camper said. "Where are you from?"

"New York City," Elise mumbled in response.

"Well, damn," said Rob. "I was gonna say we could drive you back, but you're a long way from home."

"What's stopping us?" Shannon said, her eyes still on the road. "We could just, like, go down there for a couple of days. It's not like we're doing anything."

"No, really, it's fine," said Elise, worried that the hippie driving the Jeep would turn around right then and there and start on a detour to Manhattan.

"Seriously," said Shannon, "we could just drive you back home. Don't you want to get back?"

"Not yet," Elise replied quietly.

"Don't push her," Rob told Shannon. "She's probably completely freaking out." He turned around in the passenger's seat to look at Elise. "Are you completely freaking out?"

"I guess," she said. "I mean, yeah, I'm freaking out a little, but-"

"Don't freak out," said Shannon. "It's alright. You're safe. We're safe people, and this is a safe space. It's fine."

"I think you came into our lives for a reason, or something," Rob said, lowering his voice. "Maybe you're, like, an omen from the universe. I don't know."

"Shut up, Rob," Shannon laughed. "You're high as balls."

That would explain their relative calm despite their bizarre situation, Elise thought. Perhaps it would make whatever Loki had planned for their campsite easier for them to accept.

They pulled up to the structure that housed the ranger station and stepped out of their vehicle. Elise wobbled when she stood, feeling faint. Rob noticed.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked. "You look kind of sick."

"Fine," Elise breathed, "I'm fine. Let's go in."

Shannon knocked hard on the door. "Hello?" she called. "Anyone there?" She kept pounding her fist against the green-painted wood until there was an answer.

The park ranger was a tall man, not too much older than Elise, and he wore the requisite grayish park police uniform. He stood in the entrance to the station, looking weary. "Park's closed, folks. Go on home."

Shannon began her explanation, prefacing it with an apology. "We're really sorry, officer, really, _really_ sorry, but this is, like, an emergency."

The ranger seemed to perk up. "What is it?"

"We were camping out," Shannon said, "and I know it's off-season and we weren't supposed to, but-"

"Is she okay?" the ranger interrupted as he pointed to Elise.

"That's why we're here, man," said Rob. "She came out of the woods, and she just, like, needed help."

"Yeah," Shannon added, "it's some heavy stuff, but I guess she can tell you, right?"

"Come on in," the ranger said, stepping aside. "All of you."

"Do we get, like, immunity?" Rob asked dumbly. "You can't, like, arrest us, can you?"

"Don't worry about it," replied the tired ranger. "Just get inside."

In the ranger station, there were desks, a table and chairs, and a television, which mumbled the local news into the otherwise silent room. Once they were all inside, the ranger let the door fall shut, sat down behind his desk, and readied his pen. "What happened?" he asked.

There was a long pause, but after a few moments, Elise realized that the question had been directed at her. "Oh, well, I..." She had not expected to have to give a detailed report of her faked circumstances. "I was kidnapped, but I escaped."

The ranger looked up at her, mistrust written across his face. "I ain't heard about any missing persons in this area," he said. "Are you sure that's what happened?"

"Yeah, definitely," Elise answered nervously. "He picked me up somewhere else."

"Where?"

"Um..." Elise glanced at the television as she formed another lie. "Albany?"

"I thought you came from the City," Shannon said.

"No, yeah," said Elise. "But I was in Albany. I was visiting."

"What's your name?" the ranger asked, fixing his eyes on the paper in front of him.

As Elise struggled to invent an alias, a more interesting story brought the attention of everyone in the room to the television set.

"Breaking news unfolding in our region right now," the news anchor announced.

"Hang on a sec." The ranger reached for the remote control on his desk and turned up the volume on the television.

"Local police have just been informed that a dangerous fugitive may be on the loose in Allegheny State Park," the news story went. "Loki Laufeyson, the mastermind behind last year's terror attack on New York City, is reported to have escaped from custody, and he may be traveling in the region."

Elise watched in horror as her own picture, the same one that the news had been using since she began working on Loki's case, appeared on the screen.

"Laufeyson may be accompanied by his lawyer, Elise Milton," the news anchor said. "Both are considered extremely dangerous. If you see either of these people, you should contact law enforcement immediately. Again, both Laufeyson and Milton are considered extremely dangerous. Do not approach them. Call the police."

"Dude, that's _her_!" Rob exclaimed.

The ranger dislodged a cordless phone from its charger and dialed. "Stay right where you are," he instructed Elise as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and his cheek.

Stunned and indecisive, Elise stood, staring blankly back at the ranger.

He spoke excitedly into the phone. "Yes, hello, this is Officer Rowcevski, calling from the Park Police Station. I need backup..."

Without wasting another second, Elise bolted, her legs prickling with panic as they carried her out of the station and out into the dark forest.

"Hey, stop!" she heard Rob shout.

"I'm in pursuit," the ranger yelled into the phone before the sound of his feet on the ground joined Rob's.

"Rob! Wait!" Shannon called. "Don't chase her!"

Turning her head briefly, Elise caught a glimpse of the three figures running close behind her, and though she was dizzy and nearly blind in the night, she resolved to keep going until they were lost. The woods became impossibly dense, but she avoided the road and the light. Tripping on roots and slipping on unsteady soil, she kept going until she couldn't anymore.

Disoriented, weak, and out of breath, Elise had to stop, though she could still hear the ranger and the campers approaching. She gave up, falling to her knees as she began to cry. Certainly, she thought, she would go to prison forever if she was caught, but as the faint light of the ranger's flashlight grew brighter, she simply couldn't bring herself to stand up in order to run or fight. Just as she had begun to accept the inevitability of her fate, however, a set of hands snatched her and dragged her into the shadows. She was surprised, but unafraid; she knew just whose hands they were.

"Stay here, and be quiet," Loki whispered tensely.

Elise watched as he took several steps in the direction she had come from and stood, waiting, for the search party to find him.

It wasn't long before Rob emerged from the darkness. He stopped himself just before he reached Loki, nearly running right into him, and although Elise couldn't see the look on Rob's face, there were awe and terror in his silence.

"What's the matter?" Loki taunted. "Were you not expecting me?" His tone changed abruptly, becoming hostile. "Never again shall you pursue what is mine. Is that understood?"

"Whoa, man, be cool," Rob stuttered as he raised his hands defensively. "Just relax."

Elise cringed at Rob's choice of words and waited for the reaction that was sure to follow.

"Foolish mortal," Loki hissed. "Do you wish to lose your _head_?"

Rob began to shout. "Help! Someone, help!"

Without a moment's delay, Loki seized Rob's head and propelled him into the trunk of a tree, silencing him. Horrified, Elise stifled a scream as she watched the camper collapse on the ground, either lifeless or unconscious.

"_Stop right there_!" Officer Rowcevski shouted as he jogged toward Loki. He had holstered his flashlight, and he now wielded a gun with both hands.

Shannon wasn't far behind, and her arrival was marked by a harrowing shriek. "Holy shit, _Rob_!"

"Are you _threatening_ me?" Loki snarled as he took a step toward the ranger.

"Come any closer, and I'll shoot," the ranger said, his voice wavering. "I'll shoot you dead!"

Loki wrapped both of his hands around Officer Rowcevski's neck and lifted him into the air. The weapon fell from the ranger's hands as he attempted to pry Loki's fingers off his throat.

"You will do no such thing," said Loki, and with that, he threw the officer to the ground and delivered a kick to his temple, causing him to cry out in agony.

"What the _fuck_?" Shannon yelled. "Stop it, you're _killing_ him!"

Loki ignored her. He stomped on Officer Rowcevski's head, yielding a loud crack. The ranger's body convulsed, and Loki kicked him again.

"You're a _murderer_!" Shannon wailed. "_A murderer_!"

With one more kick to the head, Officer Rowcevski's involuntary movements ceased, and Loki turned his attention to Shannon.

"Be silent, you cur," Loki growled. "Be _silent_."

"That _bitch_," Shannon sobbed, "she tricked us..."

Elise cried, too. Having watched the whole bloody scene unfold before her wide eyes, the immense guilt and grief she felt weighed heavily on her conscience. She was disgusted with herself. She was an accomplice.

"Elise," Loki called, his tone somehow both playful and cruel, "come out from behind that shrub. There is nothing to be afraid of."

"I can't," she replied through the lump in her throat. "I really, really can't."

"But I insist," he said. "Come here."

Elise knew better than to make him ask a third time. Slowly, she stood, and she went to Loki's side.

"What shall we do with her?" he asked blithely. "We cannot let her go, and we cannot take her with us. What shall we do?"

"You're asking _me_?" Elise didn't know what to make of the question, much less how to answer.

"Look at her," Loki said. "Such hopelessness. Such sorrow." He smiled. "Is she not lovely?"

At first, Elise stared at the ground, unable to face the poor woman, but when she finally brought herself to look Shannon in the eye, she couldn't see what Loki wanted her to see. She wanted to say that she was sorry, to find some way to atone for what she had done, but instead, she just stared.

"Answer me, Elise," said Loki. "Is she not lovely?"

Not wanting to say the words, Elise just nodded.

"You're fucking sick," Shannon panted. "You're both fucking sick."

Elise looked to Loki to see that he was smiling. He took a step toward Shannon, and when she started to back away, he grabbed her upper arm to stop her.

"What shall we do, Elise?" Loki said. "You know what we must do if she is of no use to us."

"Can we let her go?" Elise asked, already knowing what his answer would be.

"No." Loki bent down, pulling Shannon with him, and he picked up a large, flat rock, which he held out to Elise. "End this."

"Don't do it," Shannon pleaded. "Please, don't kill me. _Please_."

Elise approached Loki and took the rock from his hand. Her heart beat against the cage of her chest, and her stomach was heavy with anxiety and regret. She held the rock in front of her and watched Shannon cry, then imagined her bleeding, lifeless, and growing cold. The weight of what she was being asked to do was incomprehensible. "Loki, I can't do this," she whimpered.

"Of course you can," he said. "You will see how easy it can be once you start. Now, start."

Elise lifted the rock and advanced on Shannon as Loki held her in place, but she stopped short of bringing the weapon down on her head. "Do we have to do this?" she asked. "Isn't there another way?"

"No, there is not," Loki said, and without another word, he placed his hands on Shannon's head and twisted it until her neck broke with a distinct snap. He let her limp body fall unceremoniously to the ground and began to walk away.

Elise followed him. "Why did you do that?" she asked when she caught up.

"Because I wanted to," Loki replied. "Actually, I wanted to watch _you_ kill her, but my patience wore thin."

"That's awful…"

"No, it is _incredible_." Loki stopped walking and turned to Elise, smiling as he placed his hands on her upper arms. His eyes danced with excitement and madness. "To hold a life in your hands, Elise… it is the most wonderful feeling you will ever know." The joy left his face as he spoke his next words. "I wanted to give you that gift. Why did you refuse to accept it?"

"I can't do that," Elise replied. "I'm not a killer."

His smile returned. "You will be," he said as he brought his lips close to hers.

She turned away to avoid his kiss. "I don't want to."

With his thumb and forefinger on her chin, Loki turned her to face him. "It matters not," he said. "_I_ want you to."


	14. Distress

Elise followed Loki through the forest, hanging onto his arm for guidance and support. She couldn't tell what time it was, but the sky, which had been dark and black for a long time, was growing grey with light. It was long past the hour when most people, herself included, would normally have gone to sleep, and it was approaching the time when alarms would rouse the people in the city.

"Are we going to stop soon?" Elise asked.

"Why would we stop?" Loki answered.

"To sleep, maybe. It's really late."

Loki chuckled. "We cannot stop now. We must go as far as we can from that scene you caused."

"The scene _I_ caused?"

"Oh, yes." He smiled proudly. "It could not have happened had you not set it in motion."

Not wanting to discuss it further, Elise didn't dispute his accusation. "There are only so many places we can hide," she pointed out. "It's a big forest, but it's not that big. The police are probably already looking for us."

Loki's expression darkened. "What are you implying?"

Elise shrugged. "I just thought I'd let you know."

"Should anyone come for us," Loki said, his eyes fixed on some distant point in the darkness, "we will slaughter them like cattle."

It wasn't a sustainable strategy. It seemed that Loki was treading water, that he hadn't actually considered what they would do once they escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier.

"You're really not worried?" Elise questioned. "Not even about S.H.I.E.L.D., or Tony Stark, or Captain America?"

"Not in the slightest," Loki said. "By the time they find us, this realm will be at war, and it will matter not where you and I are."

Elise swallowed her words and kept walking at Loki's side. Exhausted, she struggled to match his even pace. He just kept marching to his undisclosed destination, slowing to a halt only when they came upon a clearing, a leaf-littered circle into which dusk was slowly creeping.

"What is it?" Elise asked, out of breath. "Are we stopping?"

"Only momentarily," Loki replied. He broke away from Elise, took a few steps toward the center of the clearing, and then turned to look at her from a slight distance. Smiling, he said, "I have a test for you."

To an exhausted and half-conscious Elise, the words were like a punch to the gut. "I don't think I can pass a test right now," she whined.

Her complaint went unacknowledged. "Would you survive here without me?" Loki said, pacing the circle. "Even for a day?"

Elise shook her head. "You're not leaving," she said. "No."

"I may be." Loki knelt down and picked up a twig. He examined it, turning it over in his hands. "What would you do?"

"Out here?" Elise looked around for a sign of civilization – a road, a path, or even just a pile of campfire ashes – but became dizzy before she found one. "Probably die."

Loki chuckled, still holding the twig in his hand. "You would die without me. Is that so?"

"Out here, yeah," she answered nervously. "But you're not really leaving, right?"

In response, he laughed again.

"Don't leave," Elise urged desperately. She moved toward him, as if she truly thought she could overpower and restrain him. "Seriously, please, don't leave. You have to-"

Just as she reached out to touch him, Loki vanished. Elise had suspected that he would.

"That's just _great_," Elise snarled. She was immensely frustrated, but she was sure that he would return promptly.

She remained there in the clearing, arms crossed at her ribcage, waiting. When she exhaled, she saw her breath crystallize briefly in the air. It had not been apparent until she stood still just how cold it was outdoors.

"I'm not gonna chase you," Elise shouted into the air.

She wandered back and forth as she waited, not leaving the treeless plot of land, pacing faster and faster to keep warm. Several minutes passed, but still, she didn't venture out into the forest. She wanted to be there when Loki returned.

Eventually, Elise became tired of moving. She sat down, butterfly-style, on the damp, dewy ground. Already covered in dried and drying mud, she wasn't concerned about picking up a bit more. The solitude, however, grated at her nerves.

"I get it," she called. "I'm nothing without you. I need you. You can come back now."

Of course, he didn't come back. For a few minutes more, Elise sat, fidgeting, tearing up leaves and pulling the bark off of sticks, until she couldn't stand to sit any longer.

"Okay," she announced as she stood, "I'll look for you, if that's what you want."

She left the clearing and went out into the woods. More than searching, Elise was wandering. She knew that Loki would return whenever he deigned to do so, and not a moment sooner. It was a game of hide and seek, and as seeker, Elise knew she stood no chance. It wasn't until the shadows of the trees began to grow shorter that she became concerned. She wasn't really alone, she reassured herself. Loki had not once let her out of his sight, and today would be no exception.

The air became thinner and warmer as time elapsed. Minutes became hours, and the morning gave way to afternoon. Elise was getting thirsty, and her head felt full and achy. She was tempted to lie down and go to sleep, so she kept moving, not giving herself the opportunity. The sooner she found Loki, the sooner she could rest. She just had to play his game, she thought.

It _was_ a game, wasn't it? It seemed less and less so as the day progressed. With the sun high in the sky and making its way west, Elise couldn't go on. He was nowhere to be found, and to make matters worse, she had stopped making a conscious effort to orient herself in relation to the place she had been when he left. She slumped against a tree and sank down to the forest floor, breathless, dehydrated, and afraid, but just when she thought nothing could make her move, a droplet of warm water fell on her head, then another, and then another. As they conspired together and grew into a downpour, Elise lost her patience. Her lips curled inward, and she shut her eyes tightly as she stood, tilting her head upward to face the broken sky.

"_God damn it_!" she hollered, her voice clear and round and full with despair. She trudged along in an indiscriminate search for shelter. The woods were full of caves, most pf them leading underground, but it was only after several attempts that she found one with an entrance large enough to accommodate her hips. On her belly, backward, she crawled inside, hesitant to step away from what light still remaining outside. It was cold and damp, but she was out of the storm, and that seemed to be the best that she could hope for.

As the afternoon drew to an unsatisfying conclusion, Elise was sure that she had been abandoned. There was barely room to stand inside, so she sat, her back against the cold, mossy stone that served as a wall. She began to imagine sensations on her body: bugs crawling up her arms, spiders in her hair, snakes slithering across the tops of her feet. All but the last disappeared as she rationalized them away. She wiggled her toes, but still, the feeling of something scaly and sinister on her skin wouldn't leave her. In a more vigorous attempt to shake it, she kicked, and when she did, she heard something hit the wall opposite her. Then, she listened closely, and she heard a collective hiss.

Elise's screaming echoed and shook the cave. The more she moved, the louder the hissing became. Even in the dark, it quickly became evident that she had disturbed not just one serpent, but an entire nest. She willed herself to be still, and she stood, stiffly, as the pool of reptilian flesh ebbed and flowed against her ankles.

"Help," she mewled, her eyes fixed on the exit.

She scanned her brain for any knowledge of venomous snakes she may have accrued, but she found none. She wanted to climb up out of their den and leave them behind, but she couldn't bring herself to move, afraid to incite one of the serpents to violence.

"Help me, Loki!" she wailed. "Don't leave me here alone!"

As if he had been waiting for her cue the entire time, he called from outside the cave.

"Where have you gone, Elise?" he seemed to sing. "I hear you, but I cannot see you."

The tension in her body distorted her cries into pinched whimpers. "In here! I'm in here!"

Loki's boots appeared in front of the cave's opening. He crouched and peered inside, his eyes penetrating the fog that had begun to form.

"There you are," he said. "What's the matter now?"

"_Snakes_," Elise replied in a protracted whine.

"How ever did you get down there?" he scolded as he extended an arm down into the hole. "Must I keep you under constant watch lest you find yourself in peril?"

Elise didn't begrudge him his patronizing tone as she grasped his wrist and allowed him to pull her out into the rain. When she was completely outside, she seized him with both arms, clinging to him before he could stand up and disappear again, exhaling shallow breaths into his chest.

Loki reciprocated her embrace, wrapping an arm around her back and cradling the back of her head in his opposite hand. "It feels terrible, being left alone, does it not?"

"Yeah," Elise sighed, tensing her shaking arms around his waist. "Please don't do that again."

She couldn't see his face, but Elise heard a smile in Loki's next words: "Tell me that you never want me to leave."

"I never, _ever_ want you to leave," she repeated reflexively, pulling back so that she could look into his eyes and show her sincerity. "You aren't going to, right?"

"This was just a bit of fun," Loki said, tilting his head slightly. "Still, _intuitively_, it seems, you were drawn to danger." His eyes narrowed, and his lips parted as he drew in a long, slow breath. "No, no," he continued, in what sounded as though it was meant to be an internal dialogue, "you would have been killed were it not for me. How fortunate you were that I saw you, that I heard you..."

His mumbled words melted into Elise's psyche slowly, each phrase reinforcing her fear of being left for dead in the forest. She was in too deep; she _needed_ Loki, whether she liked it or not. Oddly, though, she _did_ like it, at least when she knew she could depend on him. But what did she bring to the table? In a moment of deep insecurity, Elise panicked – what was motivating him to keep her around?

She rested her forehead against his chest once more. "I'm so sorry," she muttered, her frustration with herself distorting her tone.

"For what?" Loki asked, his hands sliding down to her lower back.

"For being such a needy..." Elise stopped just short of saying something cruel about herself. She lifted her head and sat back, extending her arms behind her to lean on them. "I'm sorry I'm so useless."

Loki chuckled, his eyes sparkling with either dementia or amusement, and rested a hand on her bent knee. The contact made Elise's skin crawl. She felt embarrassed at her weakness and undeserving of his affection, but she wanted desperately to solidify whatever it was that kept him from vanishing for good. She sat still as his hand crept slowly onto her thigh and squeezed.

After a few moments, Elise repositioned herself, tucking her calves beneath her, and she leaned forward to kiss Loki. He responded somewhat forcefully, gripping the back of her head and kneading her lips between his as he moved closer, his knee sneaking in between her folded legs. He brought his forearms around her torso, and abruptly, he stood. Elise wrapped her legs around him, and he began to carry her away.

"Wait," she protested, "where are we going?"

"Nowhere," he replied quietly.

Quickly, Elise found herself trapped between Loki and the stout trunk of a tree. The wet bark gnawed at her back with every movement, but she didn't think to sacrifice the security of Loki's body at her front or his mouth locked in hers. He pressed harder and harder against her as the minutes passed, nearly suffocating her by the time they were disturbed.

"_Loki_!" Thor's voice resonated even in the damp forest. "This has gone _too far_!"

Loki turned toward him suddenly, causing Elise to fall to the ground and land on her bottom. Once she was back on her feet, she watched apprehensively as Loki approached his estranged brother. His posture was confident, but he walked carefully, as if he were afraid to startle Thor while he held his hammer. "I thought you would never find me," Loki taunted quietly. "Tell me, what caused such a delay?"

Thor's rage seemed to subside; instead, he appeared exasperated. "Loki," he said, "I do not wish to fight with you."

"Of course not," Loki laughed sarcastically. "You would _never_ wish for a fight. Especially not with your _dear_ _brother_."

The remark seemed to inflame Thor's temper; he took a long, firm stride, closing the gap between himself and Loki. "End this at once," he growled. "End this, or _I_ will."

The tension was palpable, even from where Elise stood, at a relatively safe distance. She was astonished at Loki's composure, even as Thor, clearly the stronger of the two, threatened him.

Loki's tone was harsh and low: "No, Thor," he said, "_you_ cannot end this. Not without me, and certainly not without knowing what will happen next."

"I have come to _warn_ you of what will happen next," said Thor. "Brother, if this does not cease, you will surely be killed."

"At whose hand?" Loki snarled, cracks forming in his calm. "_You_ had the chance. The Iron Man had the chance. _Everyone_ has had a chance!" He drew in a deep breath. "But not a single one of you has risen to the occasion. Why is that, Thor?"

"This is not a _game_ to us!" Thor yelled, shaking the leaves on the trees. "I would _never_ wish death upon you. You will it upon _yourself_!"

Loki bowed his head slightly, seeming to contemplate what had just been said. "Have you truly come to talk of peace?" he asked.

"Yes," Thor answered. "For the final time."

Elise saw Loki glance at her over his shoulder.

"Then leave your weapon here," Loki said. "Walk with us."

"_Us_?" Thor questioned. "Surely, you do not mean to involve the maiden in this."

"Oh, but I do," Loki replied, turning slightly to open the conversation to Elise. "I have been advised to speak to you only with my lawyer present."

Elise looked to Loki, then to Thor. "Right," she said, nodding in compliance with whatever Loki had just started. "That's probably for the best."

Thor glared at her, then turned his attention back to Loki. "Fine," he said. "But I will not leave my hammer here."

"I must insist," Loki responded. He raised his hands slightly, palms facing Thor. "I am unarmed. You will have no need for it, I assure you."

Thor held his hammer at his side, and he eyed Loki with suspicion before he dropped it, causing it to become lodged in the mud, handle-up. "You are aware that I can call Mjolnir to me if I wish, are you not?"

"Of course," Loki said, a bit too sweetly. "I only ask this of you as a show of good faith." He stepped backward to where Elise stood and, not turning his back on Thor, asked, "shall we?"

Thor gave a quick nod, and the three of them began walking despite the weather. Elise's head was swimming in the stress and the pressure in the air, and it was hard to see through the fog of her headache and the rain in her eyes. She was tempted to loop her arm through Loki's and hold onto him for stability, but she worried that a show of affection might undermine his position in the negotiation to come, and that undermining him, even for the sake of balance and physical well-being, would be regrettable.

"Tell me," Loki said, his head turned slightly toward Thor on his left, "what exactly are you offering?"

Thor had clearly practiced his opening argument: "I am offering you the chance to restore what order there was before you became entrenched in this Midgardian justice scheme," he stated. "I will take you back to Asgard. You may come home, and you need not live like this any longer."

"But you are not offering me _freedom_," said Loki. "You would have me locked up again, perhaps even more securely."

"No more securely than before,"Thor replied, glancing quickly to Elise. "Though I have learned to trust no one but myself with the task of-"

"Do I understand this correctly?" Loki interrupted. "You expect me to go with you when I have already come this far, do you? And you expect me to reveal to you the what lies ahead, all so that you may lock me away in my chambers, never to be seen again?"

"Have you not heard what the Midgardian tribunals have planned for you?" Thor argued. "Midgard would have you killed."

Loki turned to Elise as soon as the courts were mentioned. "Your tribunal could not have decided that yet, could they have?"

Elise shook her head. "Not at all. You can't be sentenced to death without a trial."

"Elise," Thor said, raising his voice slightly, "surely, you do not believe that the Midgardian tribunal would let my brother live."

"First of all, we call it a _court_, not a tribunal," Elise replied, pleased with her own snark and for the chance to finally be helpful. "Secondly, juries are unpredictable. It's a lot harder to get them to enter a guilty verdict when it's life and death."

"But this court, it will _try_ to have you killed," said Thor, his attention back on Loki. "Is that a risk you wish to take?"

"There is no risk," Loki chortled. "Even if Midgardian law were to condemn me to death, no Midgardian could carry the order out."

"Do not be foolish, Loki," Thor cautioned. "Do not-"

Loki stopped suddenly and faced his brother. "These are _my_ terms," he hissed. "Give me Midgard, and after that, neither one of us shall interfere with the other." He drew in a tense, shallow breath. "Is that not _enough_ for you?"

Thor's voice grew even louder. "This isn't about me, brother, this is-"

"These things are _always_ _about_ _you_!" Loki snarled, contempt curling the skin on his face and turning it bloody red.

Thor and Elise locked eyes briefly, neither wanting to engage with Loki in that moment. Elise did not want to provide a direction for his directionless loathing, and when Thor looked away, she stared at the ground.

"At least let _her_ be," Thor suggested, nodding in Elise's direction. "Do not drag her through this disaster with you."

"She remains at my side of her own accord," Loki replied, instantly calm. "Is that not so, Elise?"

The question confused Elise; she couldn't be sure whether she was expected to actually answer, so she didn't.

Loki rephrased his inquiry. "Elise," he said, "do you wish to go with Thor and enjoy whatever freedoms he has to promise you?"

"No," Elise replied, quickly and quietly. "I really don't want to do that."

"Would you prefer to remain with me?" Loki asked as though it were merely a rhetorical question.

Elise simply nodded.

"She fears you," Thor said. "This is not truly her will."

"That's what I want," Elise blurted before Loki could respond.

"There would be no punishment for you," Thor informed her, "not if you part ways with Loki now."

"I can't," she replied.

"But why _not_?"

Elise found that she could not articulate her justification adequately enough. She shrugged and and searched her vocabulary, but there wasn't a word for what kept her in her place.

"She loves me," Loki said with a snide smile. "But worry not, Thor. I shall look after her."

"_Look after her_?" Thor repeated. "You speak of her as though she were a child or an animal."

"You have your mortal pet, and I have mine," Loki replied through gritted teeth. "Mine, however, knows far more useful tricks."

"Is that what this is about?" asked Thor. "Is this _jealousy_?"

"_Never_ has this been about _jealousy_," Loki seethed. He closed the physical gap between himself and Thor. He snapped up Thor's forearm in his hand, and, as had happened in Elise's apartment once before, a change occurred. Loki paled, and the droplets of rain and sweat on his skin crystallized into glittering beads of ice as he gradually became blue.

Thor cried out and, with all his might, tried to wrench his wrist from Loki's grip. Loki lifted his second hand and seized Thor's throat. As frostbite spread onto his skin from Loki's fingertips, Thor wheezed and choked. The ice crept up Thor's arm and down his neck, paralyzing his shoulders and slowing his struggle.

Elise looked on as Loki subdued his brother, lowering him to the ground as he weakened, but she didn't pity the mighty Thor. In fact, as she gawked at him, tangled in Loki's grasp, she felt vindicated. She had heard what he had put Loki through. She had seen the full picture, and she had come to realize that New York's extraterrestrial hero was a cruel captor, a vain bully. Silently, and quite uncharacteristically, she cheered Loki on.

When Thor was finally still, crumpled on the ground, threadlike frost veiling the color and life in him, Loki swiveled around and faced Elise. The startling red in his eyes quickly drained, and soon, he was himself again. He started walking, setting a fast and steady pace.

"Where are we going now?" Elise asked, scrambling to catch up to him.

"We have an appointment to keep," he grumbled in response.


	15. Musical Intermission (Author's Notes)

**Author's Notes (and nothing else) follow.**

Hi, folks. I'm currently being crushed under the weight of finals. I really want to write, I really, _really_ do, but every time I go to put pen to paper, I feel uncomfortable with the fact that I'm not studying.

I know, it's a good problem to have and I shouldn't complain, but here we are.

Anyway, I thought in the interim I might do something that I don't need to get engrossed in to do well, so I thought I'd talk a bit about the playlist I listen to while writing this story. I'm not going to give you an exhaustive list of every song on the "Trial" playlist (it's a long list for one thing, and for another, it's as unpredictable and upsetting as Loki's beautiful, polluted mind), but I want to talk about some of the tracks that actually had an influence on this fic.

Okay? Okay.

**Initiation by The Weeknd**

This is the first song with a **major** influence on the writing (kicking in around the time Elise realizes she's in too deep). The song conjures up moving pictures of a drug-fueled romp through unfamiliar territory, and then it conjures up moving pictures of far worse things (irrevocable and unconscionable decisions made by the person in control for a person who doesn't know she's lost control). It's not the lyrics (which are quite specific and rarely applicable), but the way the song just pushes forward and gets creepier and creepier... hard to explain, but if you've ever been to a house party where the floor was pretty much covered in congealed Bacardi and some guy with a stringy goatee is breathing in your ear and all you want to leave, then you can probably identify. It's that really icky feeling that Elise feels every step of the way, and it's Loki taking her for a hell of a ride.

**Best Excerpts: **

"I got a test for you/You said you want my heart/Well baby, you can have it all/There's just something that I need from you/Is to meet my boys/I got a lot of boys"

"You've been going hard, baby/Now you're rolling with some big boys, baby"

_Chills._

**Put Your Lights On by Santana feat. Everlast**

This song has special significance for me because my mom used to sing it to me when I was a kid (weird lullaby, but I ain't scared of no monsters). It relates to the story quite well, if you're familiar with it. Loki is both the "monster under the bed" _and_ "the light shining deep into her home." Elise is anxious and terrified (and now, concussed), and everything seems to be conspiring against her. Even if she can't defend herself form Loki, he can defend her from everything else that she's now running up against (she's running up against it all _because_ of him, but these are just details that don't really help her survive). The whole song is just darkness (in a really fulfilling, comforting way), and I suspect the "angel with a hand on my head" in the lyrics isn't all pureness and white light.

**Best Excerpts:**

"There's a monster/Living under my bed/Whispering in my ear/And there's an angel/With her hand on my head/She say I got nothing to fear"

Little bit of foreshadowing for the remainder of _The Laufeyson Trial_ and the impetus for a future fic with this next one:

"There's a darkness/Living deep in my soul/Still got a purpose to serve/So let your light shine/Deep into my home/God, don't let me lose my nerve/Don't let me lose my nerve/_[insert bitchin' Santana guitar solo here]_"

**In Cauda Venenum by The Dear Hunter**

This whole album (Act III: Life and Death) is incredible, and if you have not heard it, you _absolutely must_ before you write _anything_ in which _anything_ epic or war-like is happening or going to happen. This song in particular... well, any scene where there's adrenaline and blood and Loki getting all hot and bothered by it (for instance, the scene where he just _straight-up murdered _some people), that's when this song comes on. Also, when all his plans are coming together. Because look at these lyrics (and listen to the _absolutely thrilling vocals_ on this track, the first time I heard it I died).

**Best Excerpts:**

"We're biting our tongues/An apparition, awoken with an urge to own and occupy/Who ever said this was easy?"

I want to highlight this next portion because it's my favorite:

"The majesty's massacre floods/The fields of red/Watch how your body naturally rushes the blood to your head"

"And we cry/'We cannot allow this'/'This is terrible'/With ideals we're idle as they lust for more/But oh/If we settle the score"

**Superman by Eminem**

I'm not going to apologize for enjoying Eminem's music, but this track _definitely_ needs an explanation. The hardest thing about writing Loki is getting into the mind of an angry man-child. Eminem, for a lot of tracks on _The Eminem Show_ and other albums of that era, writes the lyrics of an angry (and often terrifying) man-child. Two and two. Loki is also a misogynist in my mind, and this is one of the most messed-up songs I know in that regard. Again, two and two.

**Best Excerpts:**

There aren't a whole lot of "good" lyrics in here, they're all pretty offensive if you are a woman or have women in your life who you even remotely like. But for those of you wondering just how Loki _actually_ feels with regard to Elise, the following line captures it pretty well:

"Bitch, if you died, I wouldn't buy you life"

**Fuck You Blind by Kid Rock**

Speaking of misogynistic lyricics by white musicians from Michigan... similar reasoning, different vibe. Sorry not sorry if you happen to be one of the people who thinks Loki is redeemable post-_Avengers_. He's irreparably cracked and in this fic, he's taking it out on my darling OC.

**Best Excerpts:**

"I'll take you higher, higher/I'll take you lower, slower/I'll make you talk that talk and walk that walk"

**Kids by The Ooks of Hazzard (originally by MGMT)**

This song makes me cry every time I hear it, but if I manage to see my computer screen through my big, crocodile tears, it influences how I write Elise's dialogue (especially internal) and actions. It's a song (I imagine) about lost innocence, growing up, making mistakes when it comes to the ones you love, and then losing the ones you love. Elise hurts people from whom she desperately wants approval - Skip Parmeri most notably, Steve Rogers (she's not just starstruck due to traumatic brain injury; he's her favorite Avenger, and mine) to a certain extent, and, less explicitly, her parents and siblings. There's a lot that goes on in Elise's thoughts that I don't write about, because I know you guys are reading this for Loki and I don't want to make you wade through paragraph upon paragraph of "she was worried about stuff and things" to get to the good stuff. However, that doesn't mean she doesn't wonder whether she'll see her family again, what the last thing was that she said to her mom, or her boss, or her friends, and whether she'll be remembered well in the event that Loki finally decides to kill her. Will anyone miss her when she's gone? Did she take too much for granted in life before Loki? Did she get enough out of the time she had while she was free? In case it wasn't abundantly clear, this song makes me wonder similar things about my own life, except for I'm just dealing with adulthood here.

**Best Excerpts:**

"We liked to watch you laughing/Pick the insects off plants/No time to think of consequences"

"The memories fade/Like looking through a fogged mirror/Decisions to decisions are made and not bought/But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot/I guess not"

"A family of trees wanting to be haunted"

**My First Kiss at the Public Execution by The Blood Brothers**

This song has influenced my pre-writing for the actual trial (yes, there will be a trial, and it will stretch across a few chapters). It's going to be a pretty terrifying experience for Elise - she's in just as much hot water as Loki now. The most frightening thing for her is going to be something that Loki is already used to: being hated by absolutely everyone in New York. It's going to look barbaric to her. She's not ready for it. The media has been spinning her in several ways throughout the story - first as a nameless member of the law firm representing Loki, then as his incompetent lawyer, and now as a villain - and that's where this song comes in. The public wants to see an execution - to see the court seek the death penalty for Elise and Loki both - and the news media feeds on it to Elise's detriment.

**Best Excerpts:**

"Just this way to the neon-orange gallows/Tonight we tie the noose around the killer's collar"

"The hangman selling tickets to the sparkling death scene/Tonight we watch the rope choke a conscience clean"

I hope this has been interesting for someone. I lean on music as a crutch while writing, as I'm sure other folks do, so I thought it might be interesting to try to explain some of the musical choices (which, now that I'm looking at them, are pretty dreary in terms of content).

If you have any recommendations, please message me! This playlist is long, but I haven't added to it in months, and it could use an infusion of newness.


	16. Custody

Loki was determined to reach his destination, and Elise, injured and deprived of sleep, feared that if she couldn't keep up, she would lose him again. She wasn't worried about just where they were going until they reached the edge of the forest. From behind the trees, she could see the road's pavement and hear the cars as they whipped past.

"What kind of appointment is this?" Elise asked, apprehensive about the possibility of being spotted.

"Where _are_ they?" Loki mumbled to himself, scanning the road without stepping too close to it. "He will be after us soon..."

"Who, Thor?"

"Yes, _Thor_," Loki snapped. He was enraged, clearly, and nervous. "I thought you were clever, and yet, you continue to ask these stupid questions. _Always_ questions."

His nasty response stung, but Elise was far too tired to respond to the insult. Instead, she tried to comfort him. "Whoever it is, I'm sure they'll be here soon. Don't worry."

"I cannot rely on anyone," said Loki as he stared at the cars that failed to stop. "At least you are consistent, if somewhat naïve."

That makes one of us, Elise thought.

Loki took two steps toward the road and looked left and right.

"Don't let anyone see you," Elise cautioned.

"I know just what I-"

"_Loki_," Thor shouted from far behind in a raspy voice that was almost unrecognizable. "_Loki_..."

Loki took another step forward and turned his head frantically to the left and right. "Damn," he said. "Damn it _all_!"

As the sound of footsteps grew louder and nearer, fear clawed at Elise. She moved forward to stand closer to Loki, and when she was within reach, he reached for her and grabbed her upper arm, holding onto it with a strong, painful grip.

"They are coming," he whispered urgently, his eyes fixed on particular piece of oncoming traffic, his gaze breaking only to glance back in the direction from which Thor could be heard. "Prepare yourself."

Elise made a face. "How can I prepare if I don't-"

"_There_!" Loki yelled. "_Run_!"

He dashed out into the road from behind the cover of the trees, and Elise prayed that her feet would carry her a few yards more lest his iron grip on her and the distance between them conspire to yank her arm out of its socket. The erratic movements of the approaching SUV marked it clearly as the getaway car. It slowed only slightly as they sprinted alongside it. No door opened for them; there was just the familiar flash to mark the moment of teleportation, and then, they were in the back seat.

Beside the driver was a passenger. Elise gawked at the feathery black hair on the back of his head until he turned to shout at Loki.

"What are you _doing_ out here?" The man's voice was low and smoky, and though his accent was heavy, he was easy to understand. "And who is _this_?"

"This is Elise," Loki replied. "We were admiring one of Midgard's many lovely forests."

"This is _serious_," the passenger scolded. "The General-"

"I do not answer to your General," said Loki. "I answer to no man."

The man in the passenger's seat relented, shaking his head and, presumably, rolling his eyes.

Elise leaned in toward Loki and asked quietly, "Who are these guys?"

"Friends of friends," be replied before turning his attention back to the passenger. "Tell him to drive faster," he ordered. "We are being followed."

"By _whom_? " the man shouted.

"Just _tell him_," Loki said.

The man sighed, then turned to the driver and spoke to him in a language that Elise decided was Korean. With a loud whir, the vehicle accelerated, and Elise's head lurched backward into the headrest.

"Where are they taking us?" she asked as the car sped down the road.

"If we cannot outmaneuver Thor, then nowhere," Loki replied."Otherwise, we are going someplace where we will not be bothered."

"Do you really think he'll catch up?" Elise questioned. "It didn't seem like he was going anywhere fast."

"Perhaps."

The conversation seemed to have come to its natural end, but Elise felt compelled to keep it alive rather than sitting in silence and contemplation. "So,what do we do when we get there?"

Loki smirked and chuckled softly to himself, then lowered his head slowly to graze Elise's ear with his lip. "We begin where we left off," he murmured.

"Oh." Elise's skin was warm, but she shuddered as though she were freezing as he closed in on her. Whether he was referring to the moment before he scrambled her brain or the point at which Thor found them in the forest, she decided that it was best to feign ignorance and hope that he would forget. "Where did we leave off?"

With his hand on her cheek, he turned her head. With his nose touching the tip of hers, he stared, his unblinking eyes full of a cocktail of rage and greed while his voice revealed neither. "With your back against a wall and your feet off of the ground," he answered. "Unless you would prefer-"

"Is this an appropriate time to be talking about it?" said Elise. She was embarrassed, though no one else in the car seemed to be listening.

"I care not," Loki breathed, seizing the flesh on her upper thigh and squeezing painfully.

Elise winced at his grip. "But don't you have other things to worry about?" she asked in a pinched tone. "You said you had a plan. Don't you have to... do that?"

"In good time." His hand wandered upward.

Elise heard the passenger shift in his seat. He _was_ hearing them. He was just afraid to comment.

The car took a sharp turn, and it was immediately evident that they were speeding down a gravel road.

"Seriously," Elise said, her voice shaking, "where are we going?"

"_Hush_." Loki's fingers swept up her torso and rested on her throat, gripping lightly. "You trust me, do you not?"

"Yeah." Elise's toes tingled, and her vision blurred. "Why?"

"You must." Loki kissed the juncture between her jaw and her neck. "I could do _anything_. I could take your life."

There was a ringing in both of Elise's ears, growing louder, but never loud enough to drown out Loki's threats. Her heart raced uncomfortably; she coughed, just in case it would somehow regulate its rhythm. She was moving, squirming, but everything had gone numb. The panic was familiar, but newly terrible each time, and now, it seemed to be doing its worst.

"I can't breathe," she squealed. "Can you... can you take your hand off? Take it away?" She was hyperventilating, and before she could think better of it, she was attempting to wedge her fingers between Loki's palm and the skin of her neck to pry him off.

"You _are_ breathing." His hand remained firmly in place. "I could stop your breath. I will not, though I could."

"Stop it, stop it, _please_," Elise babbled. She closed her eyes tightly and tried not to hear his words. "I need you to stop. Stop it."

"You want me to stop it?" Loki laughed. "Stop your breath? Very well, then..."

"_No_!" Elise wailed. "_Let go_!"

He laughed again, but before he could say anything more, the brakes squeaked, and the vehicle stopped.

"Here we are," the passenger announced. He didn't turn around, but his voice was different, breathy and shaking. "Quickly. Go inside."

Loki moved toward the door and pushed it open. He turned his head before he stepped out, ginned at Elise, and said, "I was only toying with you, but this reaction..." He chuckled as he started up the driveway, and he left the car door hanging open.

Elise lingered for a moment, waiting for the excess adrenaline to leave her body. The driver had left the vehicle, but the passenger remained. Elise saw him shudder as though he had swallowed cough syrup unexpectedly. Finally, he turned around and addressed her.

"You must be a tough lady," he said, "to deal with him for so long."

Elise exhaled a deep breath to cleanse what was left of the panic. "No," she sighed, "not so much anymore."

The passenger looked over his shoulder and out the window. "He is... unpredictable," he said. "We are lucky to have him on our side."

"Who's we?" Elise asked.

The man smiled knowingly and unclasped his seat belt. "If you do not know, you were not meant to know." He opened the door, but paused before exiting. "You should get inside, too, before he misses you."

Elise wasn't sure what he meant by that, but he was right; Loki expected her to follow him inside. She slid across the back seat to the door that Loki had left open and placed her feet firmly on the ground.

"What was your name again?" Elise asked the passenger as they walked to the cabin at the end of the long driveway.

"Call me Ji," he replied.

Ji held the door while Elise entered the cabin. To her surprise, several strange men were already gathered inside the small living room. They were all relatively short in stature and, Elise assumed (though she felt somehow guilty for doing so), Korean. They were behaving as though they were at a "business attire requested" event instead of a safe house, chatting at polite levels as they opened a bottle of scotch, poured, and passed.

Elise didn't notice Loki at the back of the room until he stood. Tall and still speckled with dirt and blood, he contrasted against everyone around him. The person nearest him handed him a beverage and said a few words, gesturing toward the door and Elise's location. Loki lifted his head, and he spotted her. He didn't beckon her, but she knew she had to go to him, and to that end, she budged past men standing in her way.

When she reached him, Elise just stood at his side and waited for him to speak. He didn't do that right away; he didn't even glance at her. It wasn't until she had been staring at Loki for a long few seconds that he finally asked:

"What is it?"

Elise flinched, and she could feel her pulse hastening again. "Nothing."

A quick and quiet laugh escaped him as the corners of his lips lifted. "Have a drink," he said.

"I really shouldn't," Elise replied. "Not with a concussion."

The smile turned to a frown. "Have a drink," he repeated as he offered the glass in his hand to her.

She took it from him, took a sip, and cringed. Anything would have been better than scotch.

"Finish it," Loki demanded.

"What?"

"Finish your drink." He was serious; the look on his face made that clear.

Elise braced herself, pressed the rim of the glass to her lips, and drank until the bitter sludge was gone. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, and she felt Loki's hand above her elbow.

"Come."

He led her away from the party and into one of the small cabin's few bedrooms, closing the door behind them and locking it. As soon as he let go of her arm, Elise sat down on the bed and rubbed her eyes. The drink was already hitting her hard; she swayed as she tried to sit up straight. Loki stood in front on her, and when she first tilted her head up to see his face, she saw two of him.

"I really don't feel well," she complained. "Can I lie down?"

"And miss all of this?" Loki touched her hair and grinned, and the light in the room cast a sinister shade over his eyes. "Before a day passes, you will be a queen. You should be overcome with excitement."

"But what's going to happen?" Elise asked. "What are we doing here?"

A change occurred in Loki's expression; his jaw tightened and his brow furrowed, as though he had just heard an insult. His tone changed as well, from one of cruel joy to one of suspicion and enmity. "Are you not pleased?"

"No. I mean, yeah. I'm happy, I think." Her doubt must have been obvious to him, but she couldn't summon the energy for a better performance. "I just want to know what's gonna happen."

"_Liar_." His lip curled as he said the word, and he shook with rage or hurt. "_Nothing_ I have done for you has made you happy."

Elise noticed him clenching his fists at his sides, and she felt even dizzier. "I'm not unhappy," she explained, "I'm just afraid." As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were wrong. "I mean... I don't know how to explain it."

He lifted his hand and brought it to the back of Elise's head, unfurling his fingers and threading them through the strands of her hair. "You _ungrateful_ girl," he said, lowering his voice nearly to a whisper, "do you like being afraid?"

"No," Elise said, matching his volume, "of course not."

"Then tell me..." His hand formed a fist once again, pulling Elise's hair and tearing at her scalp. His face twisted, and his whisper exploded into a roar. "Why, of all the gifts I give you, do you respond only to _fear_?"

Elise gasped, and unable to move her head, she stared helplessly at Loki, proving his point.

"This is _precisely_ what I mean," he growled. "For fear, you thank me with _this_. You thank me with your lips apart, the way they are now, or with your tears, or with some noise or another, a whimper..." His expression softened, but his eyes devoured her; there was not a trace of innocence in the way he looked at her. He lowered his voice once more. "The way you beg me not to harm you, the way you throw yourself at my mercy... these are the things that stir me, Elise."

She didn't move a muscle. If Loki wanted fear, he would get it.

His hand migrated down to grasp the back of her neck, and its opposite encircled her upper arm, seemingly without purpose. "Why do you not respond with passion in equal measure when I give you what you desire?" he demanded. "_Why_?"

Elise continued to stare until the outlines of his face blurred. "What... what do you think I want?" she asked tentatively.

"I _know_ what you want," Loki said, "but do you?"

"I guess not, but..."

"I can give you Midgard." Loki pushed on Elise's shoulders, pushing her until she lay on the bed. "I can give you my throne, and all that comes along with it." He straddled her, then reached down to hook his finger in the collar of her blouse. "You have reason to rejoice. It will all be yours." Slowly, he worked his thumb and forefinger around the top button of the garment and unfastened it. "No longer will you toil endlessly on behalf of the thieves and killers of this realm." He freed the second button from its hole, and then the third. "Your only obligation will be to me, and soon, to our son."

Elise shook her head weakly; the gesture didn't convey even a fraction of her concern. She knew that it wasn't worthwhile to argue, but in her stupor, she tried. "It's just a little... it's..."

"What complaint could you possibly have now?" Loki's hand paused at the bottom of Elise's shirt. "My request is simple."

"But it's a little premature, isn't it?" Elise partially shielded her mouth with her hand as though she were trying to stop the words from falling out. "I didn't think we were really... at that point."

"You may defer to my judgment in matters such as these," Loki replied condescendingly. His hands moved found the waistband of her trousers. "Now, do as I ask."

Elise let her head roll back and closed her eyes as Loki leaned down to kiss her neck. He lay down, resting his immense weight on her body, and she imagined her ribs cracking beneath him. She barely moved as he clawed at her flesh. The more he squeezed and pulled at her, the more detached she became from her surroundings. She retreated into her own thoughts, but even there, she couldn't escape him.

A savage grin flashed across Loki's lips as he rose above her and removed the outer layer of his clothing. "Yes," he growled, "you are mine, just as all else will be mine."

Elise took a deep breath as he descended upon her again, and she took refuge in his silence. A faint whirring sound filled her ears; her mind must have been emitting static to drown reality out. Quickly, however, the noise became louder – no longer a "whir," but a repetitive "whoosh" - and she felt faint. Something was wrong with her brain, she thought. She strained beneath his body in an attempt to jar herself back to reality, but when he paused and sat up straight, it became apparent that he had heard the noise, too. Then came another, clearer sound, one that sent Loki leaping out of the bed.

"_We know you're in there_!"

The cabin shook as a woman's voice blared over a powerful audio system and the violent, rhythmic swish of a helicopter's propellers grew ever closer. "Come out, and show us your hands," she commanded. "I repeat, come out with your hands up. All of you."

"_Damn them_!" Loki shouted. He seized Elise's wrist and yanked her to her feet. Before she knew it, they were running, half-dressed, through the house.

The living room was already emptying. The men who had been there filtering out of the front door and out into the yard, their palms open and in the air, but Loki didn't follow them. He fled with Elise to the attic in a maneuver that even she knew was ill-advised. In the cramped, musty space, Loki wrapped her in his arms, not affectionately, but defensively, positioning her back at his front. His breath was hot on Elise's ear, and his grip was oppressively tight.

"You are _not_ to surrender," he panted. "Even if they pry you from my grasp, I swear to you, if you betray me, I will find you, and I will kill you."

Another threat boomed over the loudspeaker: "Loki, give it up. If you won't come peacefully, we _will_ shoot."

"And what good will that do you?" he yelled in response. "I am a _god_, you-"

There was a crash, a flare, and the sound of wood falling on burning wood, and through a newly-formed rift in the ceiling, Iron Man entered. "Give it up," he said, his voice distorted and electronic. He aimed the weapon embedded in the glove of the suit at Loki. "And for fuck's sake, let the girl go."

At the top of the crumbling, smoldering cabin, they were at a standoff. They might have remained there indefinitely were it not for a sudden stabbing pain in Elise's calf.

"_Christ_!" she screamed, lifting her wounded leg to alleviate some of the pressure. She squirmed until Loki dropped her, and she curled into a ball on what was left of the floor. She opened her eyes to see what had happened; there was an arrow protruding from her muscle. When she realized that it was in deep enough to prevent her from seeing the metal tip, she couldn't stand to be meek anymore.

She shouted at the top of her lungs. "This is... _this is fuckery_!" It didn't come out the way she wanted it to, but she went with it. "Complete fucking_ fuckery_! _Fuck_! _Fu-u-uck_!"

There was a moment in which the only sound to be heard was the crackling of the wooden beams that had ignited, but then, out of the sky, something descended fast enough to knock Loki from the attic, break through the last remaining bit of wall, and pin him to the ground at the center of a smoldering crater.

"Loki's down," the voice on the loudspeaker said. "Thor's got him. I repeat, Loki is down."


	17. Due Process

Elise looked down at the driveway from the top of the half-demolished cabin, watching as several black vans emblazoned with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logo pulled up. They were followed by a sedan bearing the same decal, as well as two more cars whose doors read: "Allegheney County Police." Two S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents aimed their weapons at Loki as Thor muscled him into one of the vans.

"Check it out," Iron Man said as he approached Elise. "They brought a puppy."

She watched the cadaver dog, a Doberman, jump from one of the police cars, and she knew that it wouldn't take long for them to find the bodies Loki had left in the National Forest.

Iron Man held out his metal-gloved hand. "Time to go," he said.

Elise gave him an ugly look, but ultimately placed her hand in his and let him pull her up. She stood on one leg until he hoisted her over up and over his shoulder. The metal of his suit dug painfully into her abdomen. She didn't have time to brace herself before they were in the air. They descended slowly to the ground, and Iron Man carried Elise to a van, but not the one that Loki would be riding in.

"Fuckery?" Iron Man mocked. "That's a new one. Did you come up with that on your own, or..."

"Can you just help me figure out what to do about the _arrow in my leg_?" Elise snapped.

"Can't, not a doctor." He turned around to address someone else. "Clint, can you unshoot this arrow in Elise's leg?"

The man he was speaking to walked stopped what he was doing and walked toward the van. He was carrying a modern-looking bow in his hand and a quiver on his back.

"No," he replied humorlessly. "I can take it out, though."

"You know what I mean," Iron Man said. "Watch her for a minute, will ya?"

Iron Man took off, and Clint stepped forward, stopping at the edge of the back of the van where Elise was perched. He crouched down to reach her ankle and examined the wound.

"I got you good, didn't I?" he said.

Elise winced when he touched the arrow. "Was it really necessary to shoot me?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Clint, "if you wanted to live."

As he began to maneuver the projectile out of Elise's muscle, she teared up. "I was perfectly healthy before an arrow became lodged in my ankle," she replied though gritted teeth.

"I know _that's_ not true." Clint didn't take his eyes or hands off of the arrow and the wound as he spoke. "And there were only two ways that could have gone without intervention. Either you were Loki's bargaining chip, or you went down with him." He yanked the arrow out abruptly, tearing Elise's skin.

"_Jesus, Mary, and Joseph_!" Elise clutched the open wound, pressing her palm into it to slow the bleeding.

"Don't be a baby," Clint said. "It was just a bullet-point, and it came out pretty clean." He lifted the flap on one of his vest pockets and extracted a bandage and gauze. "Let me see that one more time."

Hesitantly, Elise let go of her ankle so that Clint could wrap it. As she began to calm down, other thoughts found their way into her head. "Where's Loki going?" she asked.

"That's classified," Clint replied bluntly.

"Fine," Elise said. "Where am I going, then?"

The expression on Clint's face was as though he had wanted to roll his eyes but hadn't been able to summon the energy. "Same place."

"Why can't you tell me if I'm going to find out anyway?"

Clint stood up straight. "Why do you think we're taking you there in a windowless van?" He watched her, waiting for an answer, but when none came, he said, "Scoot in. It's time to hit the road."

That was just what Elise did; she literally scooted backward to avoid putting pressure on her injured leg. Clint jumped into the van once she was out of the way, pulled the doors shut, and helped Elise into her seat.

"No handcuffs this time?" said Elise.

"You're not getting far with that puncture wound," Clint replied.

"I thought handcuffs were 'protocol.'"

"Protocol's not my style."

There was a long and uncomfortable pause as the van started moving. Elise looked at Clint, but he was focused on swabbing her blood from the arrow that he had just extracted from her leg.

"Isn't that unsanitary?" Elise scolded. "Don't you worry about hepatitis, or-"

"You know how I just said that protocol isn't my style?" Clint interrupted.

"Yeah."

"Fraternizing with the enemy isn't my style, either."

Elise knew that she shouldn't have expected him to be friendly - or even polite, given her previous encounters with S.H.I.E.L.D. - but she wanted to talk to someone to take her mind off of what was happening. "How long are we gonna be in this van?" she asked.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Clint said.

"So it's gonna be a long ride?"

Clint didn't reply; he just looked at the floor of the van as it rocked over a bump in the road.

Elise slumped to the side and tried to follow his advice. As the roads became smoother, she fell into a much-needed, dreamless sleep. Later – though she couldn't be sure how much later – Elise woke when another bump passed under the wheels of the vehicle. Instinctively, she raised her head to look out the window, but she was troubled to find that there were one.

"Where are we?" she asked groggily.

"Getting close," Clint answered.

Elise's eyes took longer than usual to adjust to being open. "How long was I asleep?"

"About six hours." Clint seemed to consider carefully what he was going to say next. "You wanna know where you're going?"

"Well, yeah."

After a moment of silence, Clint answered his own question with one word: "Court."

Elise shot up straight. "What? _How_?"

He ignored her reaction. "There'll be a lot of cameras outside. Be ready for that."

"No," Elise said, _"I'm _not going to court. I don't have an attorney."

"I thought you were an attorney."

"I was," Elise replied defensively. "I mean, I am. And nobody's read me my rights yet."

For the first time, a smile cracked on Clint's face. "You don't have rights yet."

"I'm an _American citizen_," Elise snarled. "I _always_ have rights."

"This isn't the first time you've been detained by S.H.I.E.L.D.," Clint said. "You should already know by now how much you don't know." As the van creaked to a stop, he positioned himself at the double doors at the back.

As the doors flung open, bright light seared Elise's eyes. The mild intensity of the half-obscured sun was aggravated by the snaps of a hundred flash bulbs.

"Come on," Clint urged.

Elise scooted to the edge of the van and, with her eyes half-lidded, groped for his hand. He helped her to the ground, and she flung an arm around his shoulder to take the weight off of her wounded leg. She kept her head down as Clint guided her through the crowd. Through the slits beneath her eyelids, she could see the pantlegs of police officers' uniforms facing throngs of civilian feet and calves. She could hear people shouting – definitely shouting at _her_ – but their words were drowned in their own ferocity and rage. As she ascended the short staircase to the courthouse, a portion of which was still under repair, she was struck by a plastic vessel full of slush, which splashed onto her shoulders and the side of her head. She turned her head slightly to see a newly-empty "Big Gulp" cup, rolling back toward its source on its side. As they ducked into the building, Elise glanced quickly behind her to see police flood onto the steps to intimidate the gathering mob.

With sugary goop dripping from her hair, she leaned on a table as a short, stout security officer waved a metal detector over her. Finding nothing, she motioned her through. Limping along, Elise proceeded down the hall, escorted by Clint, who managed to pass the security check without being x-rayed or asked to leave his weapon behind.

Before they got very far, they were stopped by two uniformed New York police officers of comically disparate heights and ages. Clint held Elise steady while the younger and taller of the two handcuffed her. Once her wrists were secured at her front, the other officer recited, from memory, the rights to which she was entitled. He asked her repeatedly whether she understood, and each time, she nodded.

Elise and Clint proceeded on, flanked by the officers on either side. As they closed in on the entrance to the courtroom, Elise was surprised and relieved to hear a familiar voice.

"'Lise!"

She had never been so happy to see her boss before. Skip Parmeri bumbled across the marble floor, briefcase in hand. Clint stopped walking while he approached.

"Jesus, 'Lise," Parmeri panted, having exhausted himself by rushing to her, "this is a mess. That turn out good for us, but Jesus, it's a mess!"

"I don't even know what's going on," Elise said. "Where are we?"

Confusion showed on Parmeri's face. "Come on, 'Lise, you've been here a thousand times..."

"No, not _physically_," she clarified, "where are we on the time line?"

"_Right_." Parmeri checked his watch. "Well, we're about twenty minutes from your arraignment, and-"

"Wait," Elise interrupted, "you aren't representing me, are you?"

Parmeri nodded. "Of course I am."

She lowered her voice. "Are you sure you want to be tied to this..." She searched for the right metaphor. "Are you sure you want to be on this ship when it sinks?"

Parmeri took a step forward, placed his sweaty palm on Elise's shoulder, and smiled sympathetically. "'Lise, I'm gonna make sure you swim away from this," he said. "I got you into it, and I'm gonna get you out."

Elise was optimistic for the first time in a long time.

"Let's head in," Parmeri suggested, his posture suggesting that the invitation was open to Clint and the officers as well. "Cara's in there with Loki, but I wouldn't put it past her to let him say something stupid."

"Cara? She's handling the case now?" Elise limped toward the court room, still supported by a very quiet Clint and his arm around her torso.

"Picking up where you left off," Parmeri said as he held the door. "Don't sweat it."

Elise entered from the back of the courtroom, and she saw Loki at the front, seated at the center of the table reserved for defendants, facing the empty bench. Seated beside him, stage-left, was Cara. Elise took her seat on Loki's right. Clint took his seat behind the bar behind her, and Parmeri took the seat nearest the prosecutor's station.

"'Lise, Mr. Laufeyson, here's the deal," Parmeri said as he opened his briefcase on the table in front of him. "We're a little late for a plea bargain here - not that there's any kind of deal to be had – and there's a whole, long list of charges. Serious stuff. Don't let that get under your skin, though. 'Lise, you know this. They're throwing everything at us to see what sticks."

Elise nodded. "What do you think might stick?"

Parmeri sighed and snapped his briefcase shut, leaving a few papers out and setting it down beside his chair. "Hard to say, but 'Lise, you're gonna plead 'not guilty,' got it?"

She nodded again. "Got it."

"And how shall I 'plead?'" Loki asked calmly.

Parmeri leaned backward in his seat and turned to Cara. "You explained this to him?"

"Yeah," Cara replied defensively, "but he wouldn't listen."

Parmeri tipped forward in his chair. "'Not guilty by reason of insanity.' But I'll tell you right now, you aren't sayin' _anything_ in this trial. You're the only one at this table who doesn't know the law. You just sit back and try to look like someone who doesn't understand right from wrong."

Loki chuckled softly. "I trust your judgment," he said with a slight smile. "I have no doubt that you are well-versed in the ways of this tribunal."

"You could say that." Parmeri turned in his seat, turned back around, and sighed once more. "Here she comes," he whispered to Elise. "Four o'clock."

Elise turned her head to get a look at the prosecutor. She had crossed paths with her only once before, but Elise instantly recognized her. Their opposition was a tiny, translucent-skinned, bespectacled woman, but she carried herself with the kind of confidence that came only with years of experience – and those years were written in fine lines on her forehead. Her frigid gaze swept the room, finally landing on Elise, sending a shiver down her spine.

"God, I hate her," Elise muttered. "I don't think that woman has a soul."

"Who is she?" Loki asked quietly.

"She's Whitney Mercure," Elise explained. "She's a federal prosecutor. She's who we're up against."

Loki craned his neck to see for himself. "You fear her," he stated plainly.

"You should fear her, too," Parmeri said. "You don't just walk onto a job like hers." He lowered his voice. "No matter what you think of her – personally, I mean – you gotta admit, she's the one to beat."

When Elise turned to look at Mercure again, she noticed that she was approaching. Elise stared at the United States seal that emblazoned the wall behind the bench, avoiding eye contact.

"What are you gawking at, girl?" Loki scolded. "Face your enemy." He tilted his head to meet Mercure's eye. Reluctantly, Elise followed suit.

"Well," Mercure said, "isn't that charming?" She looked to Parmeri and extended her hand. "Always a pleasure to see you, counselor."

Parmeri stood and shook her hand. "Pleasure's all mine," he fibbed.

Whitney Mercure went on to speak as if Elise and Loki were not there. "Let's try to keep things civil in this room, shall we? There already seems to be a riot starting outside; there's no need to start one here."

"Whitney," Parmeri said, "when have I _ever_ let things become less-than-civil?"

She started back toward her own table. "All I'm saying is that if you want to make this a production, I'm _prepared_ for this to become a production." With that warning, she retook her seat, crossed her legs, and busied herself writing something on a legal pad.

Elise opened her mouth to comment on the interaction, but before she could, she heard the all-too-familiar words:

"All rise."

The white-bearded judge entered with his clerk and stepped up to the bench. He looked tired and flustered, as though adjudicating were somehow an annoyance to him. When he was seated, the clerk spoke from her seat.

"The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is now in session, the Honorable Norman T. Dames presiding."

"Please be seated," said Judge Dames.

Everyone at the defendants' table bent their knees to sit, but they were interrupted.

"Not you," the judge said, pointing at Loki. "You, keep standing." He then gestured at Parmeri. "And you, counselor. You stand up, too."

Elise exchanged a confused glance with Cara behind their backs. She then looked to Whitney Mercure; she too was standing.

"Will counsel please identify themselves for the record?" Judge Dames asked.

The prosecutor spoke first. "Good morning, Your Honor. Whitney Mercure, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, for the United States of America."

Parmeri made his introduction next. "Good morning, Your Honor. Skip Parmeri and Cara Fleiss of Parmeri & Associates. We represent defendants Loki Laufeyson and Elise Milton."

"Let's launch right in," said Judge Dames. "Mr. Laufeyson, do you know why you're here today?"

"Yes," Loki replied stoically, "though if you are offering to refresh my memory, I am inclined to accept your offer."

Upon watching the judge's expression change from one of minor irritation to one of pronounced displeasure, Elise had to fight the urge to elbow Loki under the table.

Judge Dames continued. "Mr. Laufeyson, you are here because you've been charged with a federal criminal complaint – really, a litany of charges. Now, generally, I'd ask counsel to waive the reading of the charges, but I'm going to discourage that here, because I want to be sure that you fully understand what you're being charged with. Understood?"

Loki nodded, his eyes fixed on the judge, unmoving.

"Note that the defendant is nodding affirmatively." The judge cleared his throat before he began reading.. "Loki Laufeyson, the charges against you are as follows: one count of unlawful entry into the United States; one count of terrorism transcending an international boundary; one count of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act; two counts of arson; twenty-two counts of murder in the second degree; three counts of murder in the first degree; three counts of attempted murder; two counts of destruction of government property; two counts contempt of court." Judge Dames took a deep breath. "Do you understand these charges, Mr. Laufeyson?"

Parmeri interjected. "Your Honor, my apologies, I'm not sure I heard you correctly," he said. "_Three_ counts of attempted murder?"

"Yes," Judge Dames said, "and three, not four, of murder in the first degree. Did you read the amended complaint?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Parmeri replied.

"Shall we move on?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Mr. Laufeyson," Judge Dames proceeded solemnly, "how do you plead?"

"My client pleads 'not guilty by reason of insanity,' Your Honor," Parmeri announced. "On all counts."

The judge gave Skip Parmeri a disparaging look from the bench, then shrugged his shoulders. "Very well. Defendant will be held without bail."

When the judge's gavel struck the sounding block, Elise knew that it wasn't worth it for Parmeri to argue. No judge would have let Loki out for _any_ amount of money, and that would likely prove true for her, too.

"Elise Milton," the judge said, "have you had the chance to read the complaint?"

"No, Your Honor," Elise said.

"Then I'll read it now." He flipped the page, and, after a dramatic pause, began to read. "Elise Milton, the charges against you are as follows: one count of aiding and abetting a criminal; one count of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act; one count of treason; two counts of murder in the first degree; one count of attempted murder; three counts of assault in the second degree; one count of contempt of court; and one count of rape in the third degree."

"_What_?" Elise exclaimed. "_Rape_?"

"In the third degree," the judge repeated impatiently. "I assure you, it's not a mistake."

Elise felt Parmeri's hand on her upper back, cautioning her to keep quiet.

"And Ms. Milton," Judge Dames said, "how do you plead?"

Parmeri beat her to the punch. "Not guilty on all counts, Your Honor."

"All right," the judge replied calmly. He looked over the complaint before him, sighed, and said, "Now, given the gravity of these crimes, I'm inclined to hold both defendants without bail. I trust that the prosecution has no objection that."

"No, Your Honor," said Whitney Mercure.

"Counselor," the judge said, turning to look directly at Parmeri, "is there any reason I should set bail for either of your clients?"

"Your Honor," Parmeri said, "Elise has been through a lot. She needs medical attention, and that's best done in the comfort of her own home."

Mercure chimed in. "She also needs supervision," she said. "She's a flight risk."

"She's not a flight risk," Parmeri retorted. "The poor girl can't even walk on her own."

"Your Honor," said Mercure, "Ms. Milton is accused of domestic terror. Even at home, she could-"

"I'll keep an eye on her," Parmeri interrupted. "I'd stake my reputation on it – she's not going anywhere fast."

"I hope you're prepared to stake your property on it, too," said Judge Dames. "Bail is set at one million dollars for Ms. Milton. Mr. Laufeyson will be held without bail. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Parmeri said. "I'd like to request ten days to prepare motions."

"This trial has already been delayed for too long," Judge Dames replied, shaking his head. "You'll have two days."

Parmeri's face went red, then white.

Judge Dames rapped his gavel on the sounding block. "This court is now adjourned."

As the judge made his exit, there was a considerable amount of shuffling and chatter in the courtroom as the officers who would escort the defendants out made their way toward them.

"Is this where we part ways?" Loki asked quietly, his eyes still watching the wall ahead.

"Yeah," Elise replied, barely audible.


	18. Bail

Elise sat in a jail cell for only a few hours before Skip Parmeri arrived to bail her out.

"No more running," he said in the back of the cab. "There's lien on my house and another one on my office. You run off, and I got nothing."

"Like you said, I'm not going anywhere but home," Elise replied.

"Home?" Parmeri frowned. "You can't go home."

"Why not?"

"Your apartment's a crime scene. You can stay at my place." He tapped the touch screen on his phone, and his frown deepened. "Can't get a hold of my kid, though. If she's home, she's not gonna like this."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Elise asked. "I could just go to a hotel."

"I'd feel better about it," Parmeri said.

Elise contemplated what he meant by that. She certainly hadn't given him any reason to trust her, and besides that, he probably should have been more cautious, given the charges pending against her. At least he didn't think she was a killer, even if he didn't believe her when she said she wouldn't take off.

"Thank you," she said.

"It's nothing, 'Lise," said Parmeri. "I'm just glad you made it back in one piece, y'know?"

Elise nodded and turned to stare out the window.

"You been watching the news?" Parmeri asked.

"Here and there," Elise answered.

"They've been all over you, trying to make it look sexy for TV. Like a 'Bonnie and Clyde' sort of deal." He paused, looked at the floor of the cab, and said, "It isn't like that, right?"

The implication was hurtful. Perhaps, Elise admitted to herself, she should have resisted Loki's influence more vigorously, but "Bonnie and Clyde" was not at all the reality she had been living. Had it been, she might not have suffered as much as she did.

"It's nothing like that," Elise said, her head and neck heavy with the suppressed urge to cry. "I promise you, it was absolutely _nothing_ like that."

"Hey, 'Lise, don't get upset." Parmeri's tone was apologetic. "I believe ya, and I'm gonna fight for ya. I just gotta get the whole picture. You know how it is."

They arrived at Parmeri's building, and they took the elevator up to his relatively spacious, richly-decorated home. Elise seated herself in the first piece of furniture within reach, the leather armchair, the ubiquitous piece of furniture required of successful Manhattan attorneys. She sighed, finally able to rest the one good leg that had been supporting her weight all day. Moreover, away from Loki, and with his circumstances out of her control, her paranoia, her helplessness, and her desperation for his approval began to fade from her consciousness. She closed her eyes, and she didn't reopen them until she heard Parmeri's footsteps approaching.

He handed Elise a glass of water – which she eagerly accepted – and kept the glass of red wine in his hand for himself. He sat down on his couch, leaned back, and inhaled contentedly. "Okay," he exhaled, "what happened?"

Suddenly, Elise was tense again. She wasn't ready to talk, but with only two days before the start of the trial, she knew that she had to. "I don't even know where to start."

"How 'bout the beginning?" Parmeri suggested.

"The beginning's kind of a blur." Elise sipped her water; it was the most satisfying beverage she had ever imbibed. "I guess he put the wool over my eyes."

"How'd he manage that?"

Elise shrugged. "I told you, it's a blur. Everything seemed to be going okay. He got a hold of my anxiety meds and tried to poison his brother, his mom, and that scientist – what's her name?"

"Foster?"

"Yeah." She paused, retracing her steps in her head. "Before I knew it, he moved in with me."

Fat wrinkles formed in Parmeri's forehead. "You're tellin' me that this all started when you came back to work?"

"Before that," Elise admitted, ashamed. "From day one, he was..." She couldn't find the appropriate words for what Loki had done.

"He was trying to get in your head, right?" Parmeri said. "Get you going out of your way for him?"

"Oh," Elise said, sitting up straight, "you have _no idea_."

"What next?"

She took a deep breath and gathered herself. "He started controlling everything. At first, he was threatening me, but then, it was like having a kid."

"One hell of a kid," Parmeri mused.

"You're telling me," Elise replied. "He wouldn't let me leave the house until we ran out of food. He wouldn't have let me go to the office until I told him someone would come looking for me if I wasn't there."

Parmeri leaned forward. "So he's holdin' you hostage at this point, right?"

"Right."

He leaned back again. "I could work with that." He mulled it over for a moment longer, and then, his focus returned to Elise. "Keep goin'."

Elise didn't know how to tell the next part of the story. She recalled the events, but she couldn't explain them. "The next part's... weird."

"It's all weird," Parmeri said. "What happened?"

Elise glanced at her forearm. It was badly scarred; it hadn't healed well. "He got violent," she recounted tearfully. "I should have seen it coming. He'd get in my face, yell, pull my hair. Then, a day or two in, he burned my wrist." She held it up to illustrate. "See that?"

Parmeri cringed. "That's what that was?" he said. "I knew something wasn't right."

Elise nodded, and she tensed her face to stop herself from crying, but after a moment, she burst. "I thought if I did what he said, he'd stop," she gushed. "I told him I loved him, and that was bullshit, at least at the time. He put the idea in my head and I couldn't shake it. Not after..." In fact, she couldn't pinpoint what it was that made her behave the way she did. "_God_, what was I _thinking_?"

Parmeri took a sip of his wine, then asked the question: "You slept with him?"

"Yeah." Elise took a deep breath, but it wasn't enough to calm her. "I know it's the worst thing I could have done. I know."

"It happens," said Parmeri. "But now you're lookin' at a rape charge, on top of everything else."

"What is _that_ about?" Elise complained. "He beat the hell out of me! The _whole time_, he was back and forth. One minute it was 'I'm gonna make you the queen of the world,' and the next minute, he was all, 'I could kill you, I could choke you, I could do this and that.' And then he'd _do it_! I was..." She stopped herself before she revealed something too intimate.

"You were what?" Parmeri pushed. He seemed upset by what she had said, but he was still trying to get the facts out of her. "What were you gonna say?"

"I was in the hospital," Elise said.

"What for?"

"Concussion."

"How?"

Elise pulled at her hair and winced as she tried to recall what had occurred that day. "We were arguing," she recalled. "There's this whole other side-issue, but I don't think it's relevant to-"

"What's the side issue?" Parmeri interrupted. "I'll stop ya if it's irrelevant."

Elise rubbed her temples to relieve some of the pressure in her head. "I think he's trying to... _ugh_." She shuddered. "I don't even want to talk about it."

"It gets _worse_?" Parmeri's eyes widened.

"He's trying to get me pregnant," Elise blurted. "I'm ninety-nine percent sure he is."

Parmeri covered his mouth with his hand, but his eyes conveyed his shock and disgust. "'Lise, that's... the most screwed-up thing I've ever heard come outta your mouth."

"I know," she replied. "This is the hell I've been living in. And then, yesterday, he..." She felt suddenly sick; a panic was coming on. "If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't shown up with a helicopter, he would've..."

"I get where you're goin'," Parmeri assured her, shaking his head slowly. "I'm so sorry, 'Lise. I never should'a taken him on as a client."

Elise nodded in agreement. "Are you gonna drop him?"

"I can't drop either of you," Parmeri said, throwing his chubby hands up in front of him. "I only got two days. Media's gonna crucify me."

"Does it really matter?" Elise said, a bit irritated at his misplaced concern.

"They've been crucifying me all week," he complained. "If I drop either of ya, they're gonna spin it, and I'm gonna look like a jackass. I drop him, I'm suddenly a coward, 'cause I'm backing away from a tough case. I drop you, the women's groups'll come outta the woodwork soon as all _that_ comes out at trial." He shrugged. "I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Elise asked, offended.

"Whaddaya mean?"

"When 'all that' comes out," she said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Parmeri took a big swig of wine. "Jeez, 'Lise, I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it?"

He sighed. "Look, I'm in a tough spot, here. I got one client with his head on the chopping block – not that he doesn't deserve it, but a client's a client – and best case scenario there is that he'll get put in an institution for the rest of his life. Then I got another client who's would've been kinda sympathetic – battered woman, crying on the stand, all that – except I also got a jury that's out for blood, and they're not gonna get it from the other guy once they hear the shrink's testimony." He brought the wine glass to his mouth and finished off its contents. "I'm tryin', 'Lise," he said. "I'm lookin' at this as a lawyer, y'know? I wanna look at it as your friend, or your boss, but..." He shrugged. "It is what it is."

Elise closed her eyes and rested her head in her hand. "This trial's barely even a trial anymore," she groaned. "Someone threw a Slurpee at me outside the court."

"If trials always went smooth, I'd be out of a job," Parmeri replied. "But I gotta tell ya, I'm worried about our chances, here."

Elise looked down, then back at Parmeri. "What's gonna happen to me?" she asked pitifully. "Do you think I'll get the death penalty?"

Parmeri shook his head. "Even if you do, it won't hold up on appeal." He looked away; he seemed deeply worried. "But, 'Lise, you gotta be ready for the possibility of life."

"I can refute every one of those charges."

"Can you do it without incriminating Loki?"

She thought about it for a moment; she couldn't. "If Mercure puts me on the stand, I'm telling the truth."

"Fine," Parmeri said. "But I know you can do that without getting your co-defendant executed."

Loki wouldn't let that happen to himself, Elise thought. She pitied anyone tasked with putting restraints on his arms or needles in his veins. She didn't want him to die, but she knew that he wouldn't, no matter what testimony she gave. He was a god, but she wasn't, and she had her own life to worry about.

At that moment, the door opened slowly, and a short, round, black-haired 20-something entered the apartment.

"Dad?"

Skip Parmeri stood. "Erica," he said, "where ya been?"

"Out," she said. She looked at Elise, and her tone became accusatory. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"You've met Elise," he said. "She's gonna be staying in the spare room. Few days, tops."

"_What_?" Erica exclaimed. "What the hell, dad?"

"It's an emergency."

"You're divorced for a _month_ and you've already got girls coming over?"

"Is _that_ what you think this is about?" Parmeri raised his voice. "What kinda person do you think I am?"

Erica turned her anger to Elise. "What're you trying to do, get a _promotion_?" she sneered. "You're both pathetic!"

"Jesus tap-dancing Christ, Erica, d'ya watch the _news_?" Parmeri shouted. "This is _Elise Milton_!"

"Yeah, I _know_," Erica said on her way out. "I'm going to Amber's until she's gone. I hope she kills you like she killed that park ranger!" With that, she slammed the door shut, and the apartment was quiet again.

Parmeri let out a frustrated sigh. "Sorry 'bout that," he said. "She's outta control."

"Seems like she's having a hard time," said Elise.

"She's _always_ havin' a hard time," Parmeri replied. He started toward the kitchen, then turned his head and asked, "Want a glass of wine?"

Elise considered it for a few seconds before she said, "Yes, please."

When Parmeri returned to the living room, he handed Elise a glass, then retook his seat and resumed drinking. "Y'know why I like my job so much, 'Lise?"

"Why?" she asked.

"It's like I've got more kids," he said. "Not that I think the new associates are _kids_, but, y'know..."

The mention of offspring made Elise feel sick to her stomach. "I guess I don't get it."

"Like you, 'Lise," said Parmeri. "You came in after law school, you were 'bout Erica's age, but you had your act together. My daughter's a burnout. So when kids like you come up, kids who just wanna work hard and, y'know, _contribute_ something, it's a second chance. I got to see you win your first case, got to see you deal with some tough clients..." He paused. "Got your name on TV, for better or worse."

"Thanks." Elise stared into the wine glass, holding it by the stem and swirling the liquid in the bowl. "I hope you didn't have any hopes and dreams pinned on me, though."

"Disappointment's part of the family experience," Parmeri replied. "So's bailing your kids outta jail once in a while."

Elise couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"So," Parmeri said, "where were we?"

"With what?"

"With the timeline."

"Oh." Elise had hoped that the interruption had been enough to end the conversation. "Um, the hospital, I guess."

"No, before that," Parmeri corrected. "How'd you get there?"

"Well..." that piece of the memory was particularly foggy. "After he hit me, I blacked out for a while." She searched for the right pieces of information. "Captain America woke me up, believe it or not. And Tony Stark was there, too. They called an ambulance."

"I heard about that," said Parmeri. "Mercure's callin' them as witnesses. You think they can help us on cross?"

"They can help _me_," Elise said. "They can corroborate the..." She went quiet. "You know, the abuse."

"Like I said, you might need to be quiet about that," Parmeri cautioned. "I'm tryin' to prove that Loki doesn't know right from wrong, but I don't think anyone's gonna buy that he didn't know it was wrong to hit a woman. That hurts his case, makes him look evil."

"It's my case, too," Elise grumbled, frustrated. "Anyway, they saw me at the hospital. They know I wasn't cogent enough to form any kind of _mens rea_ for murder."

"Speaking of that, how'd you wind up in Allegheny?" Parmeri asked. "I've been outta the loop. Nobody's told me anything these past couple of days."

"That's because S.H.I.E.L.D. got involved at the hospital," Elise said. "They wouldn't even tell _me_ where we were going until I'd already agreed to go with them."

"Agreed?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't have to go?"

"No, I had to."

Parmeri looked puzzled. "You had to, but you didn't have to?"

"You don't understand how Loki is," Elise explained. "S.H.I.E.L.D. had already caught him by the time they got to me. They wanted information about him that they thought I had."

"Did they offer you any kind of deal?" Parmeri inquired.

"Yeah," Elise replied matter-of-factly. "They said they could clear everything up."

"_And you didn't take it_?" Parmeri seemed upset the way a baseball fan would be upset by an umpire's poor judgment. "You must've asked 'em for something else, right?"

"Right, of course."

"What was it?"

"I asked them to let me see Loki." As the words came out, Elise realized just how stupid she had been.

"You traded a _pardon_ for a few minutes with the guy that just beat you up?" Disbelief was written on Parmeri's face. "What's _wrong_ with you, kid?"

"You don't understand," Elise said, defensive. "Loki can see everything I do. He would've known if I talked to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Parmeri seemed skeptical. "Sounds like we could've pled insanity for you, too."

"No, seriously," said Elise. "He's probably listening to this right now. Just watch, tomorrow, he'll..." She trailed off; she had scared herself. What if he _was_ listening? If he was paying attention, he had heard everything Elise had just said. "Where's Loki now?" Elise asked.

"Hopefully, in his cell, talking to a shrink," Parmeri said. "Cara's over there."

Elise shivered. "Is Thor going to be in the courtroom when the trial starts?" she asked.

"Yeah," Parmeri said, "he's our witness. Why?"

Elise paused and stared into her mostly-full wine glass. "Just in case."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"You don't get how Loki operates," Elise said. "He's not scared of a judge, or corrections officers... I mean, I've seen him stomp someone to death. I've seen him punch through a wall. He's not human."

"He's not gonna come after you in front of a hundred witnesses," Parmeri assured her. "The courtroom's gonna be packed."

"You don't know that," Elise said. "He's completely unpredictable."

"'Lise, there's nothing to worry about. He's not-"

"I'm sorry," Elise interrupted, "how long have you spent with him again?"

"I've only met with him once, but I-"

"No. No 'but.'" With a mean scowl on her face, she took a sip of wine. "After these past couple of weeks, I know him better than his own _family_ does. I know how he reacts to things, and if he heard _any_ of this, I'm telling you, he's going to try something." She took a breath to calm herself. "I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm really scared. I've been scared for a while."

It seemed that there was nothing Parmeri could say in response; he attempted to change the subject. "Maybe you shouldn't be drinking. Y'know, just in case."

"In case of _what_?" Elise snapped in response. "In case I fly off the handle? Or in case I'm knocked-up?"

"_Dammit_, 'Lise!" Parmeri shouted. "I'm tryin' to help, here. I'm stickin' my neck out for you. _Way_ out. You're actin' like a lunatic."

"You don't believe a word I'm saying to you, do you?" Elise accused. "You think I wished all this on myself."

Parmeri stood as quickly as his oddly-proportioned body would allow. "You wanna know what I think, 'Lise? I don't think ya wished it on yourself, and I don't think you were askin' for anything. But I don't buy it. The 'Lise I know doesn't let anyone push 'er around like that. I think you were stressed-out at work. You were tired of dealin' with other folks' problems for 'em. I know, 'cause I've been there. I think you kinda liked that this thing fell into your lap and gave you an excuse to drop everything for a while, let someone else call the shots and take the blame for it." He took a few short steps toward the kitchen, stopped, and took a deep breath. "If ya needed a vacation that bad, you should've asked." With that, he disappeared for another drink.

Elise wanted to be furious with Skip Parmeri for what he had just said, but she was silenced by her own self-doubt. She sat in the chair with her mouth hanging open, still attached to her own story, but apprehensive about the possibility that its premise was bullshit.


	19. Pre-Trial

That night, Elise got nine hours of much-needed sleep. However, despite being well-rested, she didn't want to wake up when it was time.

"'Lise, come on," Parmeri shouted from the living room. "You gotta get up. You got a medical exam."

She growled into the pillow and turned over to get out of bed. Forgetting about the arrow wound in her ankle, she tried to stand, and when she put pressure on her injured leg, she screamed.

"What's goin' on?" Parmeri called from the other room. "You alright?"

"My leg," Elise gasped. "Help..." She wrapped the blankets around herself to cover up.

Parmeri entered the room, wielding an umbrella. "I don't got a crutch you can use," he said. "Think you can get around with this 'til you get somethin' better?"

"Yeah," Elise winced, fumbling with the blankets as she tested out the makeshift cane. "Thanks."

When Parmeri left, Elise got dressed, pulling on the same, dirty clothes she had been wearing for days before limping out into the living room.

"You're not goin' like that," Parmeri said when she opened the door. "Go in Erica's room, get one of her outfits. I think she's got some stuff that'll fit ya in the back of her closet."

Elise rolled her eyes, then proceeded slowly to Erica's bedroom to search for something to wear. Sure enough, there were smaller garments at the back of the closet – some of them too small, even for Elise – and each one was a relic from a time that seemed long gone: the beginning of the millennium. Bell-bottom jeans, loose, "boho" blouses, and shrunken t-shirts emblazoned with brand names were dangling from coat hangers and lying in piles on the floor. Elise didn't know what to make of the mess, and she didn't have time to sift through it. She chose baggy, light-colored denim, a velour hoodie that once belonged to a "Juicy Couture" tracksuit, and a tank top that didn't quite cover her midriff. The clothing felt silly and age-inappropriate, but, she supposed, it didn't really matter.

Back in the living room, leaning on the black umbrella, she asked, "How do I look?"

Parmeri cringed. "Like you're visiting someone in prison."

"I guess it's almost right, then."

They took the subway to the hospital. Elise could still sense some tension in the air between herself and Skip Parmeri. They barely exchanged words along the way, and when they arrived, Parmeri did Elise's talking for her.

"She's got an appointment with Doctor Washington," he told the receptionist. "Court-ordered exam."

It couldn't have been the same doctor, Elise thought as she waited. There must have been thousands of doctors named Washington in New York. Still, she was nervous for the "I told you so" that would surely come if this was the same person who had warned her about the danger she was in once before.

Parmeri elbowed Elise. "You're quiet," he said.

"Sorry," she replied. "I'm just thinking."

"Can't say I blame ya. You've got a lot to think about."

"Yeah," Elise sighed. "It's all pretty unreal."

"I didn't wanna tell ya when you first woke up," said Parmeri, "but I gotta go down to the jail later and talk to Loki."

"Oh. Okay," said Elise. "I guess I'll just hang out until you get back."

Parmeri frowned. "Sorry, 'Lise," he said, "I need ya there with me."

Elise shook her head in disbelief. "That's a really bad idea."

"I gotta make sure your story matches up with his," Parmeri explained. "How am I gonna do that if I can't get both of ya in the same room?"

"Write everything down and compare notes!" Elise was becoming frantic. "Talk to Cara! She's been talking to him, right?"

"Well, that's the thing," Parmeri said. "He doesn't like Cara."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope," Parmeri replied. "Last night he told her he only wants to see two people: me and you. Kind of flattering, if ya think about it. For us, I mean."

"_No_," Elise insisted. "He only wants to see me because he heard what I said yesterday!"

"You're bein' paranoid, 'Lise," Parmeri responded gruffly.

"Elise Milton?" A nurse with a clipboard and floral-print scrubs was calling her name. "Come on back."

"Have the doc check your head out while you're in there," Parmeri mumbled as Elise left.

In a series of jagged steps, she followed the nurse through the hallway and onto a scale.

"One-thirty-two," the nurse announced. "What's your height?"

"Five-two, maybe five-three," Elise replied flatly.

The nurse escorted her to an exam room. "Go ahead and put on the gown. The doctor will be here in just a minute," she said as she shut the door.

Elise pulled herself up onto the exam table, removed Erica's old clothes, picked up the gown from where it sat beside her, and fastened the ties around her back. She was able to complete the task just in time for Doctor Washington's arrival. Sure enough, it was her.

"I hoped I wouldn't be seeing you again so soon," the doctor said as soon as the door was securely shut.

"Same here," said Elise.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked. "How's your head?"

"My head's getting better, but in general..." She was quiet for a long moment. "I'm really not doing well at all."

Doctor Washington watched Elise's face; she seemed to be processing the emotion in it. She pulled the stool close to the exam table and sat down, crossing her legs and leaning forward. "Have things improved at home?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Despondent, Elise shook her head. "I haven't actually been home in a little while," she replied.

"So, does that mean you haven't seen..."

"No," Elise sighed. "Today's the first day I _haven't_ seen him."

Doctor Washington nodded. "Have things improved at all?"

"Well, now that he's in jail, I guess they have."

"But before that?"

Still exhausted from recounting her experience to Skip Parmeri the night before, Elise was becoming frustrated at the doctor's intrusive questions. "Isn't this supposed to be a medical exam? Isn't it supposed to be pretty straightforward?"

"We'll get to that," Doctor Washington said. "Right now, I'm concerned about your safety. Where are you staying?"

"With my boss." Before she could correct herself, she realized that she was probably no longer on the Parmeri & Associates payroll. "I mean, with my lawyer."

"Do you feel safe there?"

Elise shrugged. "Pretty much."

There was a pause before Doctor Washington posed the next question. "Elise," she began, "I understand if you aren't comfortable discussing it with me, but..."

She stopped speaking when Elise started crying.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm just afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" the doctor asked, sitting up straight.

"There's no good outcome to this," said Elise. "If neither of us get convicted, I'm stuck with him. And he's just been getting meaner and meaner. I think he's completely lost his mind..."

The doctor nodded again, giving the impression of understanding. "I'm going to refer you to a social worker. I'll give you her contact information when we're done here."

"Where am I gonna find the time to go to a social worker?" Elise complained. "I'm going to be on trial starting the day after tomorrow, and after that, I assume I'll be in prison. Indefinitely."

"We'll work something out. You'll get the help you need." The doctor stood up. "Why don't we get started?"

Elise nodded in agreement.

"Are there any new injuries I don't know about?" Doctor Washington asked.

"Yeah," Elise said. She lifted her ankle slightly. "I got shot with an arrow. That's another long story I don't really want to go into."

The knelt down to see for herself. She unwound the bandage that Clint had applied and removed the blood-soaked gauze. "Who pulled the arrow out?"

"One of those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents," Elise said. "Remember them?"

The doctor rolled her eyes. "How could I forget them?" She stood up straight. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday, I think."

"Alright." The doctor took a few steps toward the door. "I'm going to get a couple of things. Wait here."

Alone, Elise began to mentally check her body for other injuries. All things considered, she was in good shape. Her back was sore, and she imagined that there was a big bruise between her shoulders; her head still felt heavy, but that was to be expected; and there were scrapes and bruises on her face and arms. Still, she was thankful to have her life.

Doctor Washington returned toting a pair of crutches, which she popped up on the wall. She was followed by a young man in scrubs – presumably another nurse - who placed a metal tray of medical tools down on the counter opposite the exam table, beside the sink. He unwrapped a pair of tweezers with gloved hands, and with a pair of safety scissors, he cut a length of gauze from the roll. Once everything was ready, he left without saying a word.

"This is going to hurt a bit," Doctor Washington cautioned as she washed her hands with alcohol in the sink. "I'm going to make sure that arrow didn't leave anything behind, okay?"

Elise cringed as the doctor approached her with the tweezers. "Okay."

Doctor Washington knelt, holding Elise's calf in one hand and the tweezers in the other, and, with her gloved fingers, opened the wound.

"_Oww_!" Elise howled, clawing at the cushion of the table.

"I know, it hurts," said the doctor, "but it'll hurt worse if it gets infected."

Elise gritted her teeth as Doctor Washington extracted a small, black fragment from the wound and dropped it off on the tray. "You're lucky," she said as she returned to Elise with clean gauze and a new bandage. "It looks like it didn't do any serious, permanent damage." When she placed the gauze, it soaked up a bit of the blood that had started flowing again. She carefully wrapped the bandage around it, then stood up again. "I'm going to send you home with some of these. You should change the dressing at least once a day."

"Is it going to heal completely?" Elise asked.

"It looks that way," the doctor said as she removed her gloves and placed them into the orange-red biohazard disposal canister beside the counter. "Just keep it clean. You don't want an infection." She retrieved the crutches from their resting place and handed them to Elise. "If there's nothing else, let's draw some blood and do some x-rays."

Elise hobbled around the hospital, following Doctor Washington into various rooms for the requisite tests. She was poked and prodded and asked about her medical history for roughly an hour until it was finally time to leave. The doctor escorted her out to the waiting room.

"Where should I send the results?" Doctor Washington asked.

Parmeri set down the magazine he was reading and stood. "Send 'em to me," he said.

"Is that alright with you?" the doctor asked Elise.

She nodded.

The doctor handed Elise a referral slip. "This is the contact information for the social worker. I've sent patients to her before; I think you'll like her."

"Thanks," Elise said, leaning on one crutch as she pocketed the half-sheet of paper.

"And please," Doctor Washington said, lowering her voice, "stay away from your partner for the time being, if you can."

"You mean Loki?" Parmeri snorted. "Not likely."

Doctor Washington shot him a mean look. "And why wouldn't that be likely?"

"We're goin' to the jail to see him right now," he said. "And they're gonna be sharin' a table for as long as the trial takes."

The doctor frowned. "I'd strongly advise against that."

"What can ya do?" Parmeri shrugged. "That's what joinder does. Brings people together."

"With all due respect," Doctor Washington said, "do you really think it's appropriate to put a survivor of abuse into a room with her abuser?"

"Sorry, _Miss_," Parmeri snarked, "but where'd you say you went to law school again?"

"Excuse me, _sir_," the doctor replied sarcastically, her tone full of quiet frustration, "but I am a _doctor_, and in _my_ profession, we take our code of ethics seriously. Furthermore, I've seen what my patient's partner is capable of, and I'm not content to let you put _her_ at risk for the sake of _his_ criminal defense."

"It's her defense, too," Parmeri retorted. "Not that it's any of _your_ business."

"My patient's safety _is_ my business! It's my _first_ _priority_!" Doctor Washington had lost her cool, but she took a deep breath and collected herself, bringing her volume back down from a shout to a near whisper. "Is there anything I can do to convince you _not_ to put my patient within arm's length of this person?"

"Nope," Parmeri said, crossing his arms atop his protruding belly. "What's done is done."

Doctor Washington's forehead wrinkled with either worry or thought. "Elise," she said, "talk to that social worker." She started to walk away. "And if there's anything else I can do to help you, please be in touch."

"_Jeez_," Parmeri sighed as soon as the doctor was out of earshot. "Seems like _everybody's_ got an opinion."

Parmeri started walking, and Elise followed him, slowly and clumsily. He hailed a cab and helped her into the backseat before they started toward the detention facility that housed Loki.

"I still can't _believe_ that doctor," Parmeri kvetched. "See? This is what I was sayin' yesterday. No matter what I do, I'm wrong."

"You know," Elise said, "you could just tweak your strategy a little, and that way-"

"It's too late to tweak the strategy, 'Lise," Parmeri interrupted. "I was countin' on gettin' the two of you in the same room."

"Fine," said Elise in an attempt to end the discussion.

"'Lise, I've been married before. I know what that word means," said Parmeri.

"Seriously," Elise said. "Why don't we just... not talk about this anymore?"

And talk they didn't, all the way to the federal correctional center. The driver dropped them off at an artless, brutalist structure, dotted by windows and with only one door that appeared to be accessible to visitors. The entrance was equipped with an intercom; Parmeri pressed the button and waited for his turn to speak.

"Skip Parmeri and Elise Milton here for Loki Laufeyson," he said. He let go of the button, then turned to Elise. "You brought your I.D., right?"

"No," Elise said. "I left my wallet in Asgard."

Parmeri sighed and shook his head. "Hope we can count on them knowin' who you are."

There was a buzz, and the door unlocked loudly. They proceeded inside and immediately to security.

"Skip!" the corrections officer manning the metal detector greeted. "How's it goin', man?"

"Not bad, not bad," Parmeri replied as he removed his watch, belt and shoes. "How's the family?"

"Family's good," the officer said. "How 'bout yourself?"

Parmeri laughed as he passed through the checkpoint. "Can't say the same. Got divorced a little while ago."

"Ouch, sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." Parmeri retrieved his metallic accessories and put himself back together. "By the way, this is Elise, in case you didn't already know."

The officer's expression became suddenly dreary. "Oh, yeah," he said, turning to Elise. "Didn't think we'd be seein' you here as a _visitor_." His tone was unfriendly.

"Take it easy, Mac," Parmeri urged. "You believe everything you hear on TV?"

The officer shrugged. "Guess not," he said. He then addressed Elise. "You're not gonna pass the metal detector on crutches. I'm gonna have to do a pat search."

"Great," Elise replied unenthusiastically. She passed by the metal detector, raised her arms, and waited a few moments for the patdown to come to an end.

"You guys are all set," the officer said. "Pick up your badges from the desk. Good to see you again, Skip."

"You too," Parmeri said as he and Elise passed into the next room.

They retrieved their identification badges before being escorted to the visitation area by another corrections officer. He led them through a door and into a hallway partitioned off with metal grates from the floor to the ceiling. The spaces between the thin metal bars, which ran horizontal and vertical and even intervals, were barely large enough to fit three fingers through. It was the most peculiar visitation room Elise had ever seen in her years as a defense attorney.

"No conference room open?" Parmeri inquired.

"Not for this visit," the officer said as he turned to leave. "Wait here. When you're done, just go back out this door. I'll be on the other side."

They waited in silence for only a minute before Loki approached, escorted by yet another officer. His hands were cuffed in front of him, and his handcuffs were connected to the leg irons he wore with an additional chain. In a voluminous, orange uniform, he looked thinner, but the focused and emotionless look on his face told Elise that he was no less dangerous. As the officer who entered with him disappeared behind the door that he had come through, Elise shifted backward, and her crutches emitted a faint clatter.

"Alright, you two," Parmeri said, "we only got an hour. Let's get down to brass tacks."

Loki's eyes fell on Elise; she immediately looked down.

"Mr. Laufeyson," Parmeri began, "I wanna talk about these new charges. 'Lise has given me most of the story, but I need your perspective on this. How were you involved with the attack on the courthouse?"

"I was given a package," he replied stoically. "I gave it to Elise."

"What happened then, 'Lise?" Parmeri asked.

It took a moment for her to process the fact that Loki was trying to shift the blame for the attack onto her. "He gave me directions," Elise said. "I didn't know what it was. I just brought the box over to the hospital and gave it to the guy he said to give it to. That's it."

Parmeri shook his head. "You know nobody's gonna buy 'I didn't know,' right, 'Lise?"

"No, I know," Elise said, "but what should I say?"

"Let's get the rest of the pieces before we try puttin' it together," Parmeri said. "Who else was involved?"

Loki answered the question. "A small number of foreign nationals who wished ill on your land. A handful of officers of the army of North Korea. Though later, I learned that their government itself would have nothing to do with me..."

"Okay," Parmeri said, "and what was their role?"

"Pawns," Loki replied bluntly. "Mere pawns."

Tentatively, Elise chimed in. "Didn't you go there a few times? To North Korea?"

"You know nothing of that," Loki said, his voice low and steady and his gaze intent on her.

"But did ya?" Parmeri asked. "You gotta tell me if ya did."

"Can it be proven?" said Loki.

Parmeri nodded. "From what I hear, yeah."

"Then yes, I did." Loki shifted, rattling his restraints. "And I gave them the Tesseract, as well."

Elise felt the need to correct him again. "But didn't you keep-"

"Be silent," Loki snapped. "_I_ am speaking now."

"Yeah, 'Lise, let 'im talk," said Parmeri. "Now, Mr. Laufeyson," when were you first detained by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"I had gone to our meeting place. An apartment. I know not whose." Loki looked to Elise again, though he still addressed Parmeri. "I went willingly to their flying fortress. Elise met me there after a short while."

"Is that true, 'Lise?" Parmeri asked.

"Yeah," she said, "but I already told you about that part."

"Right," Parmeri said with a nod. "And then you two escaped?"

"Yes," Loki replied smugly. "We leapt from the sky and found ourselves in the forest."

"Now, this is where we might run into trouble," Parmeri cautioned. "We've got two bodies and a witness."

"Wait," Elise said, surprised, "two?"

"What, are there more I don't know about?" Parmeri asked, clearly becoming irate with Elise. "I got Shannon Smythe and Joe Rowcevski dead, and I got Smythe's boyfriend as a witness. Am I missin' anyone?"

"No, no," Elise said, still in shock. "I just thought-"

"You thought that kid was dead, didn't ya?" Parmeri said. "Well, he's alive as you and me, and he's testifying against both of ya." He paused to catch his breath. "Now, would anyone mind tellin' me exactly what happened?"

Loki shrugged to the extent that he could move his shoulders. "I must have been overcome with psychosis," he answered facetiously.

"That's _good_," Parmeri laughed. "Stick to that, and you'll be out in no time."

Elise felt sick to her stomach.

"How 'bout you, 'Lise?" Parmeri asked. "You saw this goin' on, and what'd you do?"

"Nothing," Elise said, shaking her head. "There wasn't anything I _could_ do."

"I told her that she could kill the girl," Loki stated, his tone still flat. "She wanted to kill her, but she was weak."

"That's not what happened," Elise explained frantically. "He _asked_ me to do it so he could fulfill some kind of sick fantasy!"

Loki's eyes narrowed, and he became visibly tense.

"Here's what we're gonna do," Parmeri said. "There's no time to go through our direct here, but here's our basic argument. Loki comes from a broken home, yadda yadda, sad story. He develops some mental illness, gets in with a bad crowd, and that explains the first set of charges, right? Not just insane, but coerced, right?"

Loki nodded slowly. "Go on."

"Then," Parmeri continued, "after that's over and done with, his brother takes him back up to Asgard, and conditions are just awful, right? 'Lise, can you corroborate that?"

"Yeah, I guess," Elise said, "but I-"

"Good." Parmeri took a deep breath. "So, of course, with things bein' as bad as they are, Loki loses his mind. He sees this opportunity to get out, and – not bein' in his right mind, of course – he takes it. And poor 'Lise, she's just along for the ride. She's afraid of what he might do. So, 'Lise, there's your defense. You didn't do _anything_. You just couldn't stop him, right?"

"Right," Elise said, "except-"

Parmeri ignored her objection and continued. "The terror attack, that was a product of Loki's delusional thinking. At this point, he thinks he's doin' a world of good. He doesn't know right from wrong." He paused.. "Speakin' of which, Loki, how'd your psych eval go?"

"If my objective was to convince them of my madness," Loki said, "then I am sure that I exceeded their expectations."

"That's great," Parmeri responded excitedly. "So I don't gotta worry about the shrink getting' on the stand and sayin' you knew what you were doin' the whole time?"

"No."

Elise found herself increasingly concerned with Parmeri's choice of strategy. He seemed to know that Loki was a liar, and he seemed not to care. In fact, he seemed to be encouraging him.

"Same story for the murder charges," Parmeri coached. "Loki was delusional, thought they were some kind of threat, and killed 'em. And Loki, you gotta make sure to testify that 'Lise didn't lay a hand on anyone, including you, got it?"

"Very well," he replied quietly.

Parmeri glanced at his watch. "Now, that's all pretty straightforward as long as we stick to our guns. 'Lise, if you really didn't do anything, and you can get the jury to believe you couldn't stop Loki, you'll be off the hook. And the insanity defense is hit or miss, Loki, but I think this could work. Just don't say anything that implies you knew what you were doin'. I'll handle the rest. Okay?"

"Yes," Loki said.

"'Lise? You got it?"

"Yeah."

"We've got about twenty minutes left," Parmeri announced. "Any questions?"

"I would like to speak to Elise alone," Loki replied almost immediately. "Unless it would be too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," Parmeri said, turning to leave. "I'll see ya back out there, 'Lise."

"Oh, no," Elise said, worried, "I don't..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Parmeri was gone, and the door slammed shut behind him. She started to follow him, moving as quickly as she could on her crutches, but Loki objected loudly.

"_No_," he growled. "Come here."

Elise maneuvered herself back around and faced him. "What do you want?"

"Come closer," he said quietly.

Elise hesitated, but slowly, she closed the gap between herself and Loki. With the metal grate between them and his arms and legs in chains, she reasoned, she had nothing to fear. "Seriously, what?"

"You were correct in assuming that I could hear and see you, you wretched girl." His lips curled as he delivered the words. With his hands shaking, his restraints emitted a metallic rattle. "Know that if you betray me, you will know suffering beyond the darkest reaches of your imagination."

"How, Loki?" Elise sighed. She was certainly fearful, but for once, his threats seemed empty - the product of panic, not of rage – and she thought she could set him straight. "What are you gonna do when we're in separate prisons, or when you're in an institution, or-"

"Have you learned nothing?" Loki seethed. "I could break these walls, and you would atone for your disloyalty here and now."

"Then why don't you?" As she challenged him, her heart beat at an uncontrollable pace, and were it not for her crutches, her shaking legs would have pooled beneath her on the floor.

Loki paused. "I have greater plans," he said. "When we are through with these formalities, I will claim my rightful place as ruler of this world." His brow furrowed. "And you, girl, will seal your fate if you cause me any further delay."

Elise swallowed hard, just short of being convinced of his honest intention to murder her. For a moment, she was speechless, and for a moment after that, she considered making another apology, throwing herself at his mercy again, allowing him to comfort her, deepening her dependence and allegiance to him. But then, something dawned on her:

"I have your kid," she said, as if she were realizing some great truth for the first time.

"What?" said Loki.

"You aren't gonna do anything to me," Elise said, limping toward him. "I don't know why you want a kid so bad, but I know you _do_. And if you kill me, you're not gonna get one. You're gonna have to start all over again with someone else, go through this whole... thing... with someone else." At last, she felt that she had the upper hand, so she delivered what she thought would be the final blow to Loki's ego: "And who else in the world is stupid enough to hop into bed with a criminally insane dictator?"

"You have no way of knowing whether you are carrying my son," Loki argued.

"Yeah, but I'll find out," Elise said, her confidence evolving into cockiness. "And if we somehow make it out of this, and you don't stop treating me like complete and utter shit..." She inhaled deeply, preparing herself to make a threat on which she was not sure she could deliver. "I'll abort it. I don't care. I have other things to worry about."

Loki went quiet. "You would hold my son hostage, would you?"

"Yeah," Elise replied, her head held high. "What are you gonna do about it?"

His expression softened and saddened. He bowed his head, but when he lifted it again, he was grinning a familiar grin. "What would I _do_ about it?" Far from devastated, he seemed giddy, and the way his eyes glazed over suggested that he was lost in his own imagination. "First," he said, his voice so low that he could barely be heard, "I would come to your home under cover of night. Silently. And before a single soul could hear you scream, you would be gone. Someplace where you would never be found."

"I'm not scared anymore, Loki. I'm-"

"_I'm not finished yet_," he snarled, hatred momentarily replacing the elation on his face. His voice, still hushed, shook with excitement as he continued. "I would bind your wrists with chains like these. You would try to slip away from me – would you not try to slip away from me?"

Elise stood her ground. "I'm not playing your game anymore. I'm done."

"You _would_," he said, his smile broadening before it morphed into a scowl. "And that is when I would break your legs, one after the other. I would _laugh_ as you writhed and screamed, and you would never forgive yourself for underestimating the extent of my strength. And if your suffering ever ceased to entertain me, Elise – for I am not easily entertained – you would endure horrors ripped from the depths of the Hell you mortals so desperately fear."

Elise remained and withstood his gruesome reprimand, though her stomach gnawed at itself and tears burned at the backs of her eyes. She was tired of being weak, and she hadn't said what she wanted to say yet.

"You would remain in that same place," Loki went on. "You would remain there until you gave birth to my heir. As soon as you had outlived your usefulness, I would slaughter you like the swine you mortals all are. And if you never gave me a son, you would remain there until your miserable life ceased, subsisting only on the scraps from my table, or until I chose to end it – and I assure you, your death by my hand would be slow and arduous and _intimate_. The memory of me would haunt you throughout your next life, and in the life after that." He tilted his chin upward and looked down at Elise. "_That_, you shrill, insufferable, ungrateful woman, is 'what I would do about it.'"

Elise took a deep breath to stabilize herself. She refused to cry or show him weakness. Instead, she chose anger. "Are you finished?" she asked, her voice raspy in her struggle to remain resolute.

"I am," Loki said.

A heavy knock came on the metal door behind Elise, and she turned her head to see the source of the sound.

The door cracked open. "One minute left," someone called before it closed again.

Elise turned back to Loki. "I hope they give you the electric chair," she hissed. "And I hope you don't die when they flip the switch. I hope they hit you with it again and again." She started toward the exit, but before she left, she twisted around to address Loki for a final time. "And I hope it reminds you of losing to your asshole brother, too."


	20. Testimony

The day before the start of the trial, Skip Parmeri paced around his apartment, fielding long phone calls from the prosecutor's office and short phone calls from journalists.

"How'd you get this number?" he would ask loudly. "My client has no comment. Yes, I'm _sure_!"

Elise sat in the armchair in the living room, fidgeting and tapping her good foot. A second pot of coffee was already brewing in the kitchen, but she had already had too much, and she was jittery. With almost every channel flooded with speculation about her fate and Loki's, she didn't dare turn the television on. Even so, there was nothing that could distract her; her thoughts kept returning to the trial, and when she wasn't thinking about the trial, she was thinking about Loki.

She resolved not to regret what she said to him at the jail. Whether she had ever really loved him or not, it had become clear that the sentiment was never reciprocated. The gruesome details of the threat he made played repeatedly in her head, and although they frightened her, they didn't shake her. She was proud of herself for holding herself together in his presence, but she was disturbed by the way her heart was hardening. She had never fantasized about killing someone before that day. The guilt felt worse than her fear of death or prison.

"'Lise," Parmeri called when he was finally able to take a break from the phone, "you just gonna sit around all day?"

"Probably," Elise mumbled, staring at the intersection between the wall and ceiling.

"These could be your last days of freedom," Parmeri said. "Not that you should go out partyin', but at least make some phone calls, or somethin'."

"You don't exactly sound confident," she replied. "Was it something Mercure said?"

With his cell phone still in his hand, Parmeri seated himself on the couch. "You gotta be prepared for the chance you'll get life, 'Lise."

"I know."

"Then what're you doin' still sittin' there?"

"I'm _processing_ it," Elise answered irritably.

Parmeri sighed and held his phone out to Elise. "Call your mom."

"What?"

"Call her." He extended his arm farther so that she could take the phone. "You don't think your mom's worryin' about you?"

Elise shrugged. "She's probably freaking out," she said, "but what's a phone call going to solve?"

"Just call her, 'Lise," Parmeri insisted. "I'd be worried sick if I was her."

Begrudgingly, Elise took the phone and dialed her parents' landline. As it rang, Parmeri left the room, heading for the kitchen.

Her mom picked up. "Hello?"

The sound of her voice sent a jolt through Elise's chest. "Mom?" she said. "It's me, Elise."

"Oh, my _God_!" Her mother was very obviously both relieved and stunned. "My _baby_! Where are you? Are you alright? What's happening?"

"Mom, I'm fine," Elise said, trying to keep calm. "I'm at Skip Parmeri's house."

"Your boss? The lawyer?"

"Yeah." Elise paused. "I don't think he's my boss anymore, though."

She heard her mother speaking to her father in the background of the phone call.

"Your dad and I were so _scared_," her mom said. "We didn't know what to believe from the news. What's this all about, Elise?"

"It's complicated..."

"_Please_, Elise. Just tell me the truth. I'll love you no matter what."

Those words hurt Elise, and for the first time that day, she teared up. "It's all really hard to explain, and it would just hurt your feelings."

"No," her mother said, "thinking you were _dead_ hurt my feelings. No matter how bad things are, Elise, I want you to tell me." She started crying, too. "I don't know this person you've been with. First, I hear my daughter's missing, and then I hear she's with... a terrorist? Isn't he a terrorist?"

"Innocent until proven guilty, mom. I can't-"

"'Innocent until proven guilty?' Don't lawyer me, Elise. What did he do to you? Are you alright?"

The question sent Elise into full-blown hysterics. "Mom, I really don't want to talk about it. It's _exhausting_. I'm in so much pain..."

"You're in _pain_?" her mother cried. "Why are you in _pain_?"

Between sobbing and gasping, Elise was able to give her mother a brief summary. "I bumped my head, and someone shot me with an arrow, and I've been getting dragged all over creation... I'm tired, and I'm miserable, and now, I have to court tomorrow, and they're gonna..." She was beginning to hyperventilate. "_Mom_, they're gonna send me to _jail_!"

"No, they can't send you to jail if you didn't do anything wrong, can they?"

"That's not how a trial works, mom." Elise took a deep breath, but she couldn't quite take control of herself. "I wish I could just come home and forget any of this ever happened."

"I wish you could, too." The voice on the phone was calmer now. "Do you want to talk to your dad?"

"Yeah," Elise squeaked. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too." She could be heard starting to cry again. "Here's dad."

Elise waited as the phone in New Jersey changed hands.

"Elise? Sweetie?"

"Hi dad," Elise said. "I miss you."

"Where on God's green earth have you been?" He sounded desperate for information. "Your mom's been crying every day, and your brothers... I had to take Nicky's car keys to keep him from going to New York to look for you by himself."

"I'm sorry, dad, I don't know what to say."

"You don't know what to _say_?" Her dad was becoming agitated, and as his voice became louder, it became distorted over the phone. "An explanation would be nice. You could talk about how you didn't call, or how you've been running around with Loki goddamn Laufeyson this entire time, or how-"

Elise couldn't understand why she was being shouted at. "I wasn't 'running around,' dad. I was doing my job, and... I got into some trouble."

"I'm just so concerned about the decisions you're making, Elise."

When she heard that, Elise hung up the phone as quickly as she could. She set it down on the arm of the chair, buried her face in her palms, and made an ugly howling noise as she cried.

"_God_!" she screeched, "I _knew_ that was a bad idea!"

"Relax, 'Lise," Parmeri said as he returned to the living room. "Whatever they said, your folks still love you."

"They wouldn't even let me get a word in," Elise complained. "Not that I can talk to them about this, anyway. My mom would never get over it if she knew _half_ of what Loki's done to me, and my dad... well, my dad seems pretty convinced that I wished this all on myself."

"All that from a ten-minute phone conversation, huh?"

"_Ugh_!" Elise clenched her fists to stop herself from throwing Parmeri's phone to the floor and watching it shatter. "I can't _take_ this anymore!"

"You were doin' okay up until last night," Parmeri recalled. "Did Loki say somethin'?"

"Do you even care if he did?" Elise shouted. "And, no, I _wasn't_ doing okay. I haven't been doing okay since..."

She almost didn't hear someone knocking on the door over the sound of her own voice.

"Better not be one of those vultures," Parmeri sighed as he bumbled to the front door. "Stay put in case it is."

Elise twisted in the armchair to see who was at the entrance, and in her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a familiar face.

"Steve Rogers?" said Parmeri, confused. "What're you doin' here?"

"Is Elise here?" Steve asked.

Before Parmeri could shoo him away, Elise gathered her crutches and got to her feet. "I'm here," she said. Her face was embarrassingly swollen and red. She never seemed to run into Captain America when she was at her best.

"Sorry, Mr. Rogers," Parmeri said, "but you gotta go. I don't need prosecution witnesses over here givin' my clients a hard time."

"I'm not here to give anyone a hard time," said Steve. "I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help."

Parmeri lingered in the doorway, blocking Steve's path.

"He probably _can_ help, actually," said Elise, sniffling. "Just let him in."

"Alright," Parmeri said, moving away from the door. "Come on."

"Thanks," Steve said as Parmeri closed the door behind him. "How've you been, Elise?"

"Not great," she said, retaking her seat. "You?"

"Fine, fine," Steve said with a nervous nod.

There was an uncomfortable lapse in conversation until Parmeri said, "You wanna sit down?"

"Sure thanks," replied Steve. He sat on the couch near Elise's chair.

"So, you wanna help?" Parmeri said.

"Yeah. Any way I can."

"Why?"

The question seemed to catch Steve off-guard. "Does there need to be a reason?"

"Guess not," said Parmeri. "There just usually is one."

"Well, if you need a reason," Steve said, "I guess I just don't think Elise should be held responsible for Loki's actions."

"What makes you think that when everyone else thinks she's his sidekick?" Parmeri asked.

Steve gestured in Elise's direction. "Look at her," he said. "You think a nice girl like that is gonna hurt anybody?"

"Trust me, buddy," Parmeri laughed, "she isn't _that_ nice. Kid's a shark."

"Yeah," Elise agreed, "I wouldn't call myself a 'nice girl.'"

"Look," said Steve, "Loki likes to be in control. The easiest way for him to do that is to go after someone who can't defend herself."

Parmeri seemed skeptical. "You think he knew what he was doin', then?"

"All I'm saying is that he knows how to manipulate people," Steve said. "I think what he did to Elise... well, he doesn't like being outsmarted, so he-"

"Stop," Elise interrupted loudly. "Can we not rehash that?"

"Sorry," Steve said. "But do you see what I'm saying, Skip?"

"You're sayin' I should sacrifice one of my clients to make the other one look innocent," Parmeri replied. "I can't do that, Cap. Vigorous representation, and all that."

"If Loki walks away from this, it won't end there," the Captain said. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

Parmeri got to his feet. "I know _exactly_ who I'm dealin' with, and he's entitled to representation."

"No," Steve said, "I don't think you do." When Steve stood up, he towered over the stubby attorney. "I've seen first-hand what kind of damage he can do, and I've seen what he did to Elise."

"I'm not gonna argue about this in my own house!"

"Isn't it your job to argue?"

"Not with people who don't know that law!"

They went back and forth that way until Elise interrupted. "_Hey_!"

"_What_?" the two men responded in unison, turning their heads in sync with each other.

"I'm here," Elise said. "You don't have to talk about me like I'm not."

They were quiet for a moment. Parmeri sighed and sat back down on the couch. Steve remained standing.

"Here's what we're gonna do," Parmeri said. "It's too late to have you subpoenaed. Judge burned that bridge to the ground when he gave us two days for motions..."

"We've got cross," Elise reminded him.

"Yeah, but Mercure's gonna be trying to get stuff about Loki's first set of charges outta Steve." Parmeri rubbed his temples. "Steve – can I call ya Steve? - I need you to make the questions about 'Lise, if ya can."

"How?" Steve asked.

"If Mercure prepared ya, tried to cut away the fat from your testimony, throw that right out the window," Parmeri advised. "If she asks you to point out Loki, you point out Loki, and then you point out Elise."

Steve looked perplexed. "Why? Won't that sound kind of strange?"

"Well, don't make it _obvious_," Parmeri urged. "All we're tryin' to do is broaden the scope for cross. If you can get Mercure to ask about 'Lise, that means _I_ can ask about 'Lise. Get it?"

"Isn't that kind of unethical?" Elise questioned. "You're kind of coaching him."

"You wanna go to jail or not?" Parmeri retorted.

It was a valid point. Elise backed down.

"Anyway," Parmeri continued, "once you do that, it'll open the door to questions about how you met 'Lise." He paused. "What're ya gonna say about that?"

"Well," Steve said, "Stark was on the computer, and he could see the Tesseract doing something at Elise's apartment, so we went over there."

"B and E?" Parmeri asked.

"I didn't catch that."

"Did you break into the apartment?"

Steve seemed nervous. "Yeah, I guess we did, but we didn't-"

"Plead the Fifth if Mercure asks how you got in," Parmeri said. "If your testimony doesn't go her way, she might try to discredit ya."

"Sorry," said Steve, "I don't know what you mean."

"Fifth Amendment? You know what that is?"

Steve shook his head.

"Captain America doesn't know what the Constitution says..." Parmeri sighed. "You have the right not to incriminate yourself. You don't gotta answer if she tries to get you to say somethin' that might imply, y'know, criminal activity."

"Oh. Thanks," said Steve.

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours," Parmeri replied before moving on. "So, you got in, and what?"

Elise caught Steve looking at her for answers. She shrugged; she couldn't remember what happened then, only that he had been there.

"I saw her lying on the sofa," said Steve. "She was out cold. I kept saying, 'wake up, wake up,' but she was just..."

"Unconscious," Elise mumbled.

Steve nodded. "Yeah. Stark called the ambulance, and I rode along."

Parmeri rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Here's how this helps us, Steve, and I need ya to go along with this, alright?"

"Sure."

"We're gonna establish that Loki didn't have the mental capacity to understand his own actions. That's the insanity defense. And it's a stretch, but we're gonna use that to explain what happened to 'Lise. Anything she did, she did under duress."

"I didn't do anything," Elise protested quietly.

"_Anyway_," Parmeri went on, shooting an ugly look in her direction, "what I need from you, Steve, is to testify to the threat Loki posed in that mental state. Show the jury that 'Lise reacted reasonably to that threat, that she was a victim here. Sound good?"

Steve hesitated for a few moments. "If that's what it takes," he finally said.

"Steve, I have a question," Elise interjected.

"Sure," he said. "What?"

"Why do you care what happens to me?"

He shrugged. "Some folks still care about what's fair."

Elise didn't find his explanation suspect. She smiled slightly as she said, "Thanks."

"You wanna go over some questions?" Parmeri asked Steve. "Make sure you got everything?"

Steve stood and started walking slowly toward the exit. "I think I can handle it." As he turned the doorknob, he turned his head and said, "Stay out of trouble, alright?"

Elise nodded, and he was gone.

"Nice guy," Parmeri commented almost as soon as the door closed. "Little self-righteous."

"Do you think his testimony will help?" Elise asked.

"Couldn't tell ya," Parmeri said. "We'll just have to wait 'n' see."


	21. Trial

Elise barely slept on nights before big court appearances, and the night before her own trial had been no exception. From the window of the spare bedroom, she watched as the sun illuminated the sides of buildings, casting long shadows in the street and reddening the skyline.

Before Parmeri woke up, she went into the bathroom to shower. Still unable to stand on her injured leg, she sat down as the water splashed over her. It was still early by the time she felt clean, so she wrapped a towel around her torso and returned to the spare bedroom. She lay down on the cool sheets, the moisture from her skin and hair leeching into the pillows and blankets. After several minutes, she urged herself to sit upright, and she applied a new piece of gauze to the once-again bleeding hole in her ankle.

A knock came on the door. "Mornin', 'Lise," Parmeri called.

"I'm up," she responded.

"My wife left some suits behind when she left," he informed her through the door. "If ya wanna wear one, they're in my closet."

"Thanks."

Once she heard that the shower was on, Elise balanced on her crutches and hopped around the corner into Parmeri's room. Quickly, she picked out a black skirt and matching jacket and a blouse to go underneath. She returned to the room where she slept to change. With the jacket open and her belly sucked in, the fit of the clothing wasn't so bad. She didn't feel pretty, but she felt well-enough-dressed. Anxiety twisted her stomach painfully; she had to remind herself to take full breaths. She waited with the door open for Parmeri to be ready, biting on her forefinger to stop herself from fidgeting.

"You want breakfast?" Parmeri shouted at one point.

"Just coffee," Elise replied.

"You sure?"

"I'm not hungry."

With a bagel in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, Parmeri approached Elise and sat down next to her on the bed at a courteous distance. He extended his arm to hand her the warm mug.

"You're worried," he said.

"Yeah." Elise sipped the hot coffee carefully. "But that's normal, right?"

"Sure is."

They finished their breakfasts in silence.

"Let's get goin'," Parmeri suggested, glancing at his watch. "Cara's probably on her way already."

Traffic was heavy, and the cab ride to the courthouse lasted longer than it should have. Elise watched the stop-and-go from the window. Briefly, she turned her head to see Parmeri doing the same. As the driver pulled up close to the curb in front of the courthouse, he nearly struck a group of journalists, cameramen, and crew who hesitated to move out of his way.

"Stay close when we get out, 'Lise," Parmeri advised as he paid for the ride. "It doesn't look too good out there."

By the time Elise had gathered her crutches, Parmeri had circled around to her side of the cab to open the door for her. Unsteady, she stepped outside, and almost immediately, she and her lawyer were surrounded by cameras and microphones. The way to the courthouse was lined with protesters, holding poster board scrawled with phrases, from the accusatory to the violent. Police were stationed at the pathetic barricades intended to keep the crowd contained, but they couldn't contain the collective "boo" that erupted as Elise approached the steps. The trial wouldn't be brief, she knew; she would have to get used to this.

Slowly, but without incident, Elise and Parmeri made their way into the courthouse. The quiet inside was in stark contrast to the chaos through which they had just passed.

Parmeri took one last look at his watch. "That took longer than I thought it would. We better head in."

The public seating area was already packed by the time they approached the defendants' table. To Elise's relief, the spectators were quiet as she made her way in, instead glaring at her and whispering to one another. It was unsettling, but it was nowhere near as unsettling as the sight of Loki, already seated, a slight smile creasing his lips. Once again, Cara sat at the outer edge of the table, fidgeting with a pen and staring into an opening statement, and Loki sat to her right, with the seat on his own right unoccupied.

Parmeri gestured toward the empty, middle seat. "Go on, 'Lise."

"You first," Elise replied, shaking her head.

"I'm gonna have to get up anyway," Parmeri insisted. "I gotta sit on the outside."

Elise inhaled deeply and, abandoning her crutches, shuffled awkwardly toward the empty chair and Loki. At the crowded table, she was close enough to accidentally touch him, so she planted her feet flat on the ground in front of her and tensed her thighs so that they wouldn't move. She folded her hands in her lap and stared at them.

Loki stared straight ahead as he muttered, "I have lost my patience with you."

"I don't care," Elise retorted at full volume.

"Is that so?" Loki said, turning to look her in the eye. "Then you must not comprehend the enormity of your mistake."

"Cool it, big guy," Parmeri chided from the end of the table. "You too, 'Lise. We're all on the same side here."

At that very moment, Whitney Mercure entered from the back of the courtroom and made her way to the prosecutor's table. Elise watched as she carefully unpacked a heavy binder and two file folders from her briefcase, laying them out across the wooden surface in front of her. She sat down, then turned her head to regard the defendants, her stare sending a chill up Elise's spine. Elise turned her head to her left, but she then faced Loki. She averted her eyes one last time, staring at Judge Dames' empty perch as she waited for him to arrive.

The clerk arrived first, then the judge, and finally, the jury. There was nowhere left for Elise to look, so she looked down.

"The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is now in session, the Honorable Norman T. Dames presiding," the clerk iterated sleepily. "Today's case is the United States v. Laufeyson, docket numb-"

"Thank you," Judge Dames said, cutting off the clerk's reading. "Counselors, shall we proceed?"

All the attorneys, Parmeri, Cara, and Mercure, rose from their seats.

"Yes, Your Honor," Mercure crowed.

The judge nodded. "Has the prosecution prepared an opening statement?"

The two defense attorneys were seated. Whitney Mercure pulled a single index card from each file folder, circled to the front of the table, and strode confidently toward the jurors.

"May it please the Court, members of the jury," she began, "there are two types of people in this world: leaders and followers. One of each sits before you today."

Elise looked to Parmeri; he was listening to Mercure's opening statement intently.

"What does leadership mean?" Mercure posited as she walked the floor, seemingly inspecting the jurors. "It means taking responsibility for your own actions, doesn't it? Never making excuses?"

Some of the jurors nodded; they already seemed to be hypnotized with the prosecutor's words.

"I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot of excuses from Loki Laufeyson today," Mercure said. "But when it comes to the things he's done, the innocent lives he's taken... ladies and gentlemen, he was most certainly a leader. At least to Elise Milton, he was. Because, you see, she is the second type of person: the follower. She never questioned whether the things she was doing were right. Not when she was the middle-man in a terrorist plot against her own country, and certainly not when she helped Laufeyson kill two people and injure another such that he will never be the same again."

Elise clenched her fists as the prosecutor made these insinuations, unable to remove her anger from her assessment of Whitney Mercure's strategy.

"Unfortunately, you won't be hearing from Robert Cordero today," Mercure continued, taking on a tone of dramatized disgust and sympathy. "You won't be hearing from him because he is lying in a hospital bed with his jaw wired shut. All he has to look forward to is a lifetime of physical therapy as a result of injuries that he sustained when Loki Laufeyson threw him head-first into a tree." She paused for effect. "If you had seen this young man lying unconscious, barely breathing, on the ground, wouldn't you have helped him? Or would you have called someone who _could_ have helped him?"

As if in a trance, the jurors nodded.

"Well, Elise Milton _didn't_ help him." Mercure's speech became more impassioned. "Instead, she helped Loki Laufeyson murder Robert's girlfriend, the woman who he described in a statement that you'll hear during this trial as his 'soul mate and partner in life,' and Officer Joseph Rowcevski, a man who devoted his career to making this nation's parks and campgrounds safe for you and your family."

Parmeri nudged Elise to call her attention to something that he had scrawled on a piece of paper: _She's laying it on thick_.

"I don't think I need to recount for you the events that took place last year," Mercure went on, "and we will present a wealth of evidence related to those events in the coming days, evidence that proves, beyond question, Loki Laufeyson's responsibility for the deaths of at least twenty-five people and the destruction of both public and private property. You'll hear testimony not only from witnesses to those events, but also from the heroes who risked their lives to stop him from burning this city to the ground.

"As I've said, you'll also hear excuses from Mr. Laufeyson and his attorneys. You may hear that he didn't understand that what he was doing was wrong. You may even hear someone say that Mr. Laufeyson deserves our sympathy, that he is psychologically damaged, or at least that he was when he committed these atrocities. You might find that persuasive. But the fact of the matter is, these acts of violence and terror didn't happen because of Laufeyson's family, or because he's mentally ill. These were acts done of his own volition, and they should be treated as such. Don't be fooled.

"And don't let Elise Milton fool you, either. She wants your sympathy, too. Her attorneys will try to paint her as a victim. They'll argue that she was held hostage by a madman, and that she had no choice but to help him kill and destroy. As you'll soon see, though, that wasn't actually her position. I'll explain.

"Elise Milton was Laufeyson's attorney. Some mistakes were made with regard to security – I won't name any names, but mistakes were made - and Elise helped Loki exploit those mistakes in order to escape from Asgard and return to New York City. She then proceeded to initiate an inappropriate sexual relationship with Laufeyson."

Elise's cheeks felt hot as gasps and hushed chatter filled the courtroom.

Mercure didn't relent. "On multiple occasions, Elise had the opportunity to call the police, leave her apartment, or provide information that would have led to Loki's re-arrest. Instead, she chose to help him evade arrest. She chose to help with his plan – a failed plan, thankfully – to start a nuclear war. She wasn't scared of him. She was doing exactly what she wanted to do.

"So, as you'll see, there was a leader here, and there was a follower here, but each defendant played a role, and they both must be held accountable." Finally, Mercure lowered her voice. "I think that will become clear by the time you are asked to make your decision at the conclusion of this trial. Thank you."

A tense hush washed over the space.

"Has the defense prepared an opening statement?" Judge Dames asked.

"We have, Your Honor," Parmeri said as he rose slowly from his seat, gathering a cluster of papers and taking them with him as he made his way to the front of the defense table. He looked to the judge, and when he nodded, Parmeri began.

"May it please the court, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, to quote an old adage, 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.' Thankfully, we don't live in a country where an 'eye for an eye' is law. We-"

"Objection!" Whitney Mercure barked. "Counsel is instructing the jury as to the law."

"Sustained," Judge Dames said, glowering from his raised seat at Parmeri.

Elise leaned behind Loki's back to get Cara's attention. "What is she doing?" she mouthed, barely whispering. "Who even _makes_ an objection like that?"

Cara pressed a finger to her lips and turned her attention back to the action at the center of the courtroom. Elise retreated back to her place at the end of the table.

Parmeri picked up where he left off. "What I'm saying is this: Mr. Laufeyson and Ms. Milton are two people who got caught up in somethin' they couldn't control. For Mr. Laufeyson, that thing was mental illness. He's been through his fair share of trauma. He started life as an orphan. He was adopted, but his family never treated him like their own child. In fact, they used him as political capital, as a-"

"_Objection_!"

The voice came from the back of the courtroom. Elise didn't have to turn around to know that it belonged to Thor. She sighed and cradled her head in her hands; the trial was already off to a bizarre start, and it seemed only to be hurting her side of the case.

"Sit down, sir," Judge Dames scolded, already quite obviously exasperated with the disruptions in the court over which he presided. "Counselor, please continue."

Parmeri's shoulders heaved as he drew in a deep breath. "Anyway," he said, slightly shaken by the interruption, "before Laufeyson wound up here, he was tortured by aliens called the Chitauri. They directed him to attack earth, and in his fragile mental state, he saw no better option. No way out. The pressure he was under was enormous, and the pain he felt was more than what any of us could've coped with.

"Unfortunately, there was one other person who _did_ have to cope with it. That person's Elise Milton. Ms. Milton isn't guilty of doin' anything but her job. She was Laufeyson's attorney, but she didn't know until it was too late that he was mentally unstable. She tried to be nice - especially after she heard his tragic story - and she wound up in a predicament. She was afraid of Laufeyson, and that was entirely reasonable. He didn't understand the consequences or morality of his actions. On top of that, he could easily overpower her physically, and, when his mental illness caused him to be impulsive, he did. You'll hear testimony on that later. The threat to Elise's life was very, very real.

"Now, I'm not denyin' that Laufeyson's done some things, and I'm not denyin' that Milton was there for some of it. But Laufeyson needs treatment for his sickness, and Milton wasn't responsible for what he did as a result of that sickness. Milton did what any of you would have done in that situation, and Laufeyson did what he genuinely _believed_ was reasonable."

Elise looked to the jurors again. They appeared not only unconvinced, but bored. Perhaps they had already made up their minds.

"Put yourself in their shoes," Parmeri continued, stepping closer to the jury to draw in their attention. "Would you be able to go through what Laufeyson went through and come out of it no different than you were before? You might like to think so, but none of us would. And what would you do in a hostage situation? You'd probably play it safe the way Milton did. If stayin' alive meant being present while some things unfolded – and I want to emphasize that that's all that happened; she didn't participate – you probably wouldn't speak up.

"So that's all I'm askin' for," he concluded. "Don't hold these defendants to a standard you wouldn't wanna be held to. Thank you."

Before Parmeri could make his way back to his seat, Judge Dames turned his attention to Mercure. "Your first witness," he instructed.

She rose. "The United States calls Anthony Stark."

Tony Stark walked casually and confidently to the front of the courtroom.

"Raise your right hand," the clerk said as she held the Bible out for his left. "Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Amen," Tony mocked, tapping the Bible with his fingertips before he ascended to the stand.

"Please state your name for the jury," said Mercure.

Tony leaned back in his seat. "That's alright. They know who I am."

Mercure smiled, but somehow, she didn't seem amused. "Please, Mr. Stark."

"Okay, fine," he said. "Anthony Stark."

"Thank you." Mercure began pacing the floor painfully slowly. "What is it that you do for a living, Mr. Stark?"

"Well, I'm a billionaire, so I do whatever I want," he replied, "unless I get subpoenaed. I go to court if I get subpoenaed, and that's not at all what I want to do."

Elise perked up. If all of the prosecution's witnesses were as antagonistic as Tony Stark was, there was a chance she'd be off the hook.

"Answer the question, Mr. Stark," Judge Dames warned.

Stark rolled his eyes. "Inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist... superhero, I suppose."

Mercure nodded as though she were giving his answer deep thought. "Where did you first come into contact with Mr. Laufeyson?"

"In Germany," Stark answered.

"What happened in Germany?"

"Objection," Parmeri interrupted. "The question's irrelevant. Laufeyson's not on trial for crimes he may have committed abroad."

"Your Honor," said Mercure, "the events I've asked the witness about are inextricably linked to the charges against the defendant."

"Overruled," the judge declared. "Mr. Stark, you may answer the question."

"Well," Stark said, "at that point, I had started working for a certain... 'big brother' type of organization."

"Was that organization S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Mercure asked.

"That's the one," Stark confirmed. "Why? Do you know them?"

"Please, Mr. Stark, just answer the question."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. threw together this initiative called 'The Avengers' to deal with the Loki situation. You might have heard about us. Anyway, they sent in the Cap, but-"

"Who is 'the Cap?'" Mercure asked.

"Captain America," Tony clarified. "Steve Rogers. You really aren't up on your heroes, are you?"

Mercure removed her glasses to rub her temples. "What happened then?"

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted," Tony sassed, "Cap was supposed to deal with Loki, but he got his ass handed to him – no offense, Cap, I know you're out there – so I dropped in to save the day."

"Mr. Stark," Judge Dames interjected, "watch your language when you're in my courtroom."

"Why?" said Tony, playing dumb. "What did I say?"

The judge ignored him. "Please continue, counselor."

"When you got there," Mercure questioned, "what did you see?"

"I saw the Cap's... um... 'rear end' getting kicked left and right."

"What did you see _Loki_ doing?" Mercure snapped. "What was happening with regard to the _defendant_?"

"Well," Stark scoffed, crossing his arms in feigned offense, "you don't have to be nasty about it. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, y'know."

Elise couldn't help but smile. Tony Stark, possibly the prosecution's star witness, was discrediting his own testimony in the name of humor.

Mercure sighed loudly. "Your Honor," she said, "I request permission to treat Mr. Stark as a hostile witness."

"I'll grant permission," Judge Dames replied without taking a moment to think.

"I'm not hostile," Tony protested. "You're hostile," he said, pointing at Mercure. He then pointed to the judge. "You're hostile, too."

Mercure resumed her line of questioning, raising her voice slightly. "Mr. Stark, when you arrived in Germany, you witnessed Loki Laufeyson standing over a crowd of people, all of whom were kneeling, is that correct?"

"Well, he was trying to, I think," Tony said, "but-"

"Thank you," Mercure interrupted loudly. "And is it true that he was then transported by S.H.I.E.L.D. to a temporary jail cell?"

"Eventually."

"And that he attempted to murder S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phillip Coulson by stabbing him with a small knife?"

"Sure," Tony responded, obviously agitated. "I wasn't there for that, but sure. Whatever you wanna hear."

"Defense moves to strike that last piece of testimony from the record," Parmeri objected. "Witness just said he didn't actually see that happen."

"So stricken," said the judge with a nod.

"Mr. Stark," Mercure continued, "did you or did you not witness Laufeyson leading what amounted to a full-scale invasion of the United States?"

"If it was full scale, wouldn't it have worked?" Stark mused.

"Yes or no, Mr. Stark," said Mercure, impatient.

"Fine, yes, I witnessed that. Happy?"

"And what happened after that?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "I took the team out for ice cream."

"May I remind you that you're under oath, Mr. Stark?"

"Fine," Stark said, "it wasn't ice cream. It was shawarma. And after _that_ – since I know you're gonna ask – Thor took Loki back to Asgard, and I don't know what happened during that span of time, between then and now." He sighed, clearly agitated and, it appeared, very anxious. "Can I go now?"

"I have a few more questions," said Mercure. "Let's fast-forward to this past month. When did you become aware that Loki had escaped from custody?"

"He wasn't exactly flying under the radar," Stark testified. "He was carrying the Tesseract, basically a mega-powered energy source, which is easily traceable if you've got the technology, which I do."

"When did you start tracking his location?"

"See, that's what you have to understand," Tony said. "I wasn't tracking _his_ location. I was tracking the Tesseract."

"Could you explain the importance of that distinction?"

"Sure I could, but I wouldn't expect lawyers to get it. Especially the scummy ones. I'm lookin' at you, Skipp."

"Please just explain the relevance of that distinction to the case, Mr. Stark."

"Alright," said Tony. "Basically, two things were happening. I started following the Tesseract's location when computers I didn't recognize started trying to get into my stuff. Later on, that big, shiny Tesseract signal split into two: one weak signal, which stayed in North Korea, and another signal that was still strong and getting progressively stronger, which moved around, I'm guessing, wherever Loki went."

"And, in your experience, what could the Tesseract possibly be used for?"

Stark shrugged. "Weapons of mass destruction seem to be a popular choice."

Mercure nodded, pausing her questioning to allow Tony's testimony to sink into the jury's collective memory. "How did you meet Elise Milton?"

"Broke into her apartment," he said. "Me and Cap, I mean."

"Was there a reason for that?"

"That's where the Tesseract was, so the natural conclusion was that we'd find Loki there, too."

"And what _did_ you find there?"

Elise swallowed hard. She didn't want to hear this part.

"Let me start by saying that the place was a dump," Tony recounted. "I don't mean 'whoops, forgot to fold laundry,' or something like that. I'm talking busted furniture, plaster coming off of walls... I don't know if she trashed the place by herself or if Loki helped, but-"

"And what else?"

"I'm _getting_ to it," Tony assured her. "Of course, by the time we got there, Loki was nowhere to be found – always seems to work out like that, doesn't it? - but Elise was there, and she just looked-"

"That's enough," Mercure said, raising a hand to stop him. "You can spare us the details. Now, Milton later admitted in your presence to having engaged in a sexual relationship with Laufeyson, is that correct?"

"Jeez... you make it sound even _less_ sexy when you say it like that."

"Is that correct?" Mercure repeated.

"Yeah."

"Thank you," Mercure said. "No further questions."

As Whitney Mercure retook her seat, Parmeri left his and walked until he was within a few feet of Tony Stark.

"So, Mr. Stark," Parmeri began, "I think you got cut-off during direct. What'd ya say Elise looked like when you found her?"

"I was just saying she looked like hell," Tony answered. "Bruised-up, nose bleeding, pretty much unconscious... so, yeah, like hell."

"Now, I'm not gonna ask you to speculate as to what happened," said Parmeri, "but what was your first thought when you saw Ms. Milton lookin' like that?"

Stark cringed half-seriously. "Don't play with fire 'cause you might get burned, I guess."

"Whaddaya mean by that?"

"I mean don't let a violent maniac crash on your couch, because if he doesn't get his way, he's probably going to take it out on you."

"So it looked like Laufeyson injured Milton, is that right?"

"Sure."

"How would you describe Mr. Laufeyson?" Parmeri asked, moving on.

"Tall guy, dark hair, not all that cute, probably a four out of ten."

Parmeri seemed to be stifling laughter. "No, Mr. Stark, I'm askin' how you'd describe Laufeyson as a person."

"Oh, well, in that case," said Tony, "I think one of my colleagues put it best: 'his brain is a bag full of cats.'"

"Could ya explain that?"

"Kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it?" Stark replied. "It's not like there's nothing going on in there. It's just everything that _does_ go on in that guy's brain is chaos. Loud, smelly, scratching, biting chaos."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Parmeri said. "No further questions."

"Thank _God_," Tony groaned theatrically. He stepped down from the stand and immediately retreated to the back of the courtroom and out through the doors while Whitney Mercure prepared to call her second witness.

"The United States calls Jane Foster," she announced as she pulled a stapled, hole-punched packet from her binder.

Elise turned to watch her rise from her seat beside Thor. Jane's lip curled slightly as her eyes scanned the faces of the defendants, but she sighed and tried to smile once she was at the stand.

"Good morning, Miss Foster," Mercure greeted in the most tender tone a prosecutor could possibly have mustered.

"Good morning," Jane replied quietly.

"Could you please state your name for the court?"

"Jane Foster."

"Thank you." Mercure approached her with the stapled packet she held in her hands. "Miss Foster, do you recognize this document?"

"Yes."

"And what is it?"

"That's a report from my hospital visit. A toxicology report, I think."

"I'd like to offer into evidence United States' Exhibit A," Mercure said, addressing the court, "a printed copy of the results of the witness' toxicology screen dated March eleventh of this year."

"Admitted," said Judge Dames.

"Miss Foster, during your stay at the hospital, did your physician explain these results to you?" Mercure asked.

"Yes," Jane replied. "He told me that that the test showed that I had taken benzodiazepines."

"Did you know what benzodiaepines were?"

"Kind of."

"Are you familiar with some of the brand names?"

"Yes."

"Can you name some of them?"

"Sure," Jane said, taking her eyes off of the prosecutor to think. "Xanax, Klonopin, Valium..."

"Did your doctor explain to you anything else about these medications?"

"He explained what they're used for."

"And what are they used for?"

"Objection!" Parmeri shouted. "That's hearsay."

"Overruled," Judge Dames said, scowling.

"They're used for anxiety disorders," Jane answered. "And panic attacks."

Mercure nodded thoughtfully. "And have you ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, Miss Foster?"

"No," Jane said with a nervous laugh, "though I probably could be."

"But you haven't been."

"Right."

"Then have you ever taken benzodiazepines for 'recreational' purposes?"

"Never," said Jane, shaking her head.

"Why might they have been in your body, then?"

"Objection," Parmeri interjected once again. "Calls for speculation."

The judge was silent for a moment before he said, "Sustained."

Mercure returned to the prosecution's table and pulled another sheet of paper from her binder. "I offer into evidence United States' Exhibit B."

"And what is it, exactly?" the judge asked.

"Your Honor, this is a photocopy of a prescription for Valium, dated March first of this year, which was found in Elise Milton's apartment."

Elise's eyes widened. She looked to her right and saw that Parmeri's expression matched hers.

"I object to this admission," Parmeri said. "This is private medical information that wasn't obtained in compliance with HIPAA, and-"

"United States' Exhibit B is admitted," Judge Dames said.

Parmeri groaned quietly and painfully, as if the very thought of the incriminating evidence's admission gnawed at his insides.

"Miss Foster, I understand if this is hard for you, but please, try to remember: was there any point in time when Elise Milton might have had access to your food or beverages?"

"Yes," Jane said, nodding fervently. "She ate dinner with us while she was in Asgard, after she talked to Loki."

"Did she and Laufeyson seem to get along well, Miss Foster?"

"Oh yeah, they got along great," Jane testified, staring daggers at the defendants. Despite her polite demeanor and kind voice, there was no mercy in her expression. "Loki even asked her to go back to his room with him after they finished eating. So I guess this all makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"That they're... you know. 'Partners in crime.'"

"We move to have that stricken from the record!" Parmeri protested.

"I'm going to deny that motion," Judge Dames stated calmly.

"Isn't it possible that Elise Milton _drugged_ you?" Mercure continued, overcome with false astonishment. "Is it possible that she used – no, _abused_ - the prescription medication she carried with her? The medication that was ostensibly prescribed for an 'anxiety disorder,' but to which she possibly – and I'm only saying _possibly_ – could have been using to get high? Or to get others high when there was a need?"

"Of course that's possible," Jane said. "I wouldn't put it past her."

Parmeri slammed his open hand down on the table in front of him. "I object to _all_ of these questions as leading!" he shouted.

"And isn't it possible," Mercure went on, raising her voice to elevate it above Parmeri's, "that this is something she planned all along? Ever since she was assigned by her former employer as Laufeyson's counsel, I mean."

"Completely possible," said Jane.

"I _object_!" Parmeri hollered, now standing. "These are _leading questions_!"

"_Enough_!" Judge Dames yelled, the sleeve of his black robe flapping as he waved his hand. "I have had _enough_ of these frivolous objections from defendant's counsel. Mr. Parmeri, if I hear another word out of you before this direct examination is through, I'll have you sanctioned."

Speechless, Parmeri was seated. Elise watched as the color drained from his face.

"Thank you, Your Honor," said Mercure, cool and smug. "Now, I'd like to offer into evidence United States' Exhibit C, Milton's résumé, which she submitted as a part of her application to the institution that granted her a _juris doctor_ degree."

"Admitted," said the judge.

"Miss Foster," Mercure said, "would you call Elise Milton opinionated?"

"I suppose so," said Jane. "She seemed to have a lot of complaints about Loki's living conditions."

"Take a look at her résumé," Mercure instructed. "Does anything jump out at you?"

"She had a lot of extracurriculars during college."

"What kinds of extracurriculars?"

Jane scanned the page. "College Democrats, Feminist Collective, Pre-Law Student Association, Model United Nations, Students for the Abolition of the Death Penalty..."

"Interesting list," Mercure noted. "Do you see anything that might have informed Milton's apparent compassion for Laufeyson?"

"The death penalty club, for sure," Jane said.

"And you weren't the only person she drugged that day, were you?"

"No. Everyone at the table was."

"And that included Laufeyson's estranged brother, didn't it?"

"Thor? Yeah."

"And Thor was responsible for Loki's security, wasn't he?"

"He was."

"So, then, could it be possible that Elise Milton caused you and Thor to ingest a heavy dose of dangerous prescription pills to get you out of the way so that she could set her political agenda – her plan to free Laufeyson - in motion?"

"I think that's possible."

"Thank you, Miss Foster," Mercure concluded. "This has been enlightening. No further questions."

Elise heard a slight chuckle from Loki and turned her head to see him smiling a wry smile.

"She nearly had _me_ convinced," he remarked. "She weaves a vivid tapestry, does she not?"

"_God_," Elise whispered, "will you _shut up_?"

"Mind your tongue, girl," Loki threatened quietly. "Were my freedom not assured, I would break these chains and-"

"Seriously?" Elise snapped. "You think they're gonna let you go when this is over?"

"Well, yes."

"I've got news for you, Loki. You're not going anywhere. Even if you win - which is _highly_ unlikely - it's not a clean slate. You'll get a finding of insanity, and they'll ship you off to the looney bin where you belong."

He chuckled. "You underestimate me, my pet."

"Do _not_ call me that. I'm not your fucking pet."

"Why so cold?" Loki taunted.

"This is neither the time nor place for..."

Elise was interrupted by the unmistakeable sound of the judge clearing his throat. She looked away from Loki and realized that everyone in the courtroom was staring – attorneys, witnesses, jurors, and the rest. Parmeri had already made his way up to the space in front of the stand, and Mercure was seated, her hands folded on the table, the expression on her face serene and satisfied.

"Are the defendants ready to proceed?" Judge Dames scolded.

"Yes, Your Honor," Elise replied, embarrassed. "I apologize for the disruption."

"Thank you," said the judge. "Now, Mr. Parmeri, do you think you can control yourself and your clients, or should we put off cross-examination until tomorrow morning?"

"No, Your Honor, we're ready," he said.

"Good. You may begin, then."

Parmeri took a brief look at his notes before he asked his first question. "Miss Foster, did you ever once see Elise take this medication she allegedly carried while she was in Asgard?"

"I don't think so, but-"

"Thank you. Did you see the food you seem to think she 'drugged' being prepared?"

"No."

"D'ya even know who prepared the food that day?"

"Probably Thor's family's servants, but Elise could have-"

"Yes or no, Miss Foster."

"Um... no..."

"Did 'Lise tell ya that she'd never been to Asgard before?"

"I mean, I assumed-"

"Assumed? Aren't you the only other person on earth who's been there?"

"Well, yeah, but I-"

"So can't we 'assume' that after spending a day or two out there, 'Lise probably didn't know how to get around without someone showin' her where to go? And that she probably didn't know how to get into the kitchen, especially given that there was no reason for her to go in there, 'cause, like ya said, servants, and all that."

Jane was obviously petrified; her mouth hung open, and she said nothing.

"Isn't it just as possible," Parmeri continued, "if not more _probable_, that someone else slipped something into your food?"

"Maybe, but I... um, I really think it was-"

"No further questions."

As Skip Parmeri and Jane Foster returned to their seats, Judge Dames spoke.

"I think today's proceedings have been sufficiently exhausting for all involved so far," he said. "Shall we recess for lunch and return in an hour to wrap up for the day?"

All seemed to be in agreement.

"Good," the judge said. "Then we'll meet back here after lunch and hear more from the prosecution before we adjourn for the day."

The gavel fell on its sounding block, and their lunch break began.


End file.
